TfL completes work to transform Hammersmith gyratory for walking and cycling
ITS (UK) Executive Member Transport for London has completed work to transform the roads around Hammersmith gyratory, reducing danger to vulnerable road users at one of London’s most intimidating junctions.
The changes will help to build on the huge increases in cycling seen in the capital since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and will it much easier and safer to walk and cycle in the area. Enabling more people to walk, cycle and use public transport is critical to a successful and sustainable economy in London, which is vital for the success of the wider economy. The new Cycleway will open up safe and attractive cycling across west London to Gunnersbury, Chiswick, East Acton, North Acton and Ravenscourt Park.
The important changes were developed in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council and include:
- A protected two-way cycle track on the north side of Hammersmith gyratory
- Cyclist-specific signals at junctions to separate cyclists and motor vehicles
- Improvements for pedestrian safety at all junctions with side roads, including raised level crossings and more footway space
- New pedestrian crossing signals with ‘countdowns’ at the crossings of King Street, Beadon Road, Shepherd’s Bush Road, Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith Road and Butterwick
- A new parallel crossing at the Butterwick junction to allow westbound cyclists to join the two-way cycle track
Transforming roads such as the Hammersmith gyratory is essential to giving people walking and cycling the confidence to travel safely, as part of TfL’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury on the road network. There were 30 collisions on the gyratory in the three-year period to December 2020, of which five involved someone cycling. Before work started on the Hammersmith Gyratory, recent cycle counts from 12 October 2021 also counted 2,844 people cycling between 0700-1900, which shows that thousands of people stand to benefit from this new infrastructure every day.
