Hammersmith gyratory to be made safer for cyclists after public express support for proposals

Plans to improve the safety of Hammersmith gyratory were supported by nearly 80 per cent of respondents to a public consultation. Transport for London (TfL) will now go ahead with the changes which it says will break a key West London barrier to cycling.

One of London’s most notoriously hostile junctions for cyclists, Hammersmith gyratory will be updated with a segregated two-way cycle lane on its north side, dedicated cycling crossings and improved pedestrian facilities.

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “The gyratory is currently a serious barrier to cyclists and removing this block from riding through Hammersmith and improving pedestrian facilities will help transform the area.”

The cycle lane will remove the need to cycle around the gyratory, keeping cyclists away from fast-moving traffic and there will also be a new eastbound cycle track along King Street, to enable onward connections on the A315 corridor.

TfL is working with the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to develop proposals for further cycle improvements along the A315. These are due for consultation next year.

Construction work on Hammersmith gyratory is set to start next summer and should be completed by summer 2018.

Val Shawcross, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said:

“These improvements to the Hammersmith gyratory will benefit cyclists, bus users, drivers and pedestrians. It’s an important and busy junction that needs to be made safer for the thousands of people who use it every day. For cyclists in particular, the changes will mean not having to cycle directly round the gyratory alongside other traffic, making a big difference to their safety.

“The changes to the gyratory have to work for everyone and we’ve asked TfL to continue to work with local residents and look closely at the lessons from previous schemes to minimise disruption when the changes are made. This includes the feedback they’ve received about retaining a pedestrian crossing between the south side of Hammersmith Broadway and Shepherd’s Bush Road.”