Cabinet backed TfL's £20m permanent Cycleway 9 on Hammersmith Road on 12 October. TfL funding is still unapproved, and there is no start date yet.
A permanent, segregated cycleway on Hammersmith Road is a step closer. Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s Cabinet is asked on Monday 12 October to back Transport for London’s Cycleway 9 scheme and sign the legal agreement TfL needs to build it.
Updated 14 October: Cabinet agreed on 12 October to support the scheme, subject to legal, governance and operational arrangements, and to sign the Section 8 agreement with TfL. The decision list repeats that TfL’s own funding approval is still pending. The decision can be called in until 3pm on Friday 16 October.
TfL would pay for and build it. The report to Cabinet puts the investment in the borough at about £20 million, with no council capital money asked for.
It is not yet a done deal. TfL has told the council the scheme “remains subject to its internal governance and funding approval processes”. The report gives no start date for construction.
What the scheme is
Cycleway 9 is TfL’s route linking Kensington Olympia, Hammersmith, Chiswick and Brentford. TfL first consulted on it in autumn 2017. The council approved making the interim cycle route through Hammersmith town centre permanent in March 2023. This report covers the permanent Hammersmith Road section, in Hammersmith Broadway, Avonmore and Brook Green wards.
According to the report, it includes:
- a cycle track separated from motor traffic
- changes to junction layouts
- improved pedestrian crossings and footways
- three bus stop bypasses on the north side of Hammersmith Road, where the cycle track runs behind the bus stop
- streetscape work along the corridor
Hammersmith Road is a council road, not a TfL one, so TfL needs a Section 8 agreement under the Highways Act 1980 to work on it. Once the work is finished, the council expects to take on maintaining what has been built.
The Blythe Road junction
The council and TfL have not agreed on everything. The junction with Blythe Road, by Olympia, has been “subject to extensive discussion”. The council has raised concerns about how the junction will work, about pedestrian access, and about how people walking and cycling will interact with vehicles there. It also expects more footfall once the Olympia redevelopment opens.
TfL’s answer, quoted in the report, is that its design meets the standards and has been technically assured:
“The decision to accept the design proposals and scheme delivery of a design that is in compliance with design standards and has been technically assured, does not require further mitigations to protect the council. This is a BAU delivery.”
The council “notes TfL’s position”. It says talks are continuing on possible changes, including:
- planting and soft barriers to steer pedestrians to the intended crossings
- changes to materials, markings and signs
- future traffic measures in surrounding streets to cut traffic at the junction
- adjusting signal timings
- a later review, including traffic lights at the junction if monitoring shows they are needed
At the bus stop bypasses, TfL is “open to considering targeted interventions”. These would follow the Department for Transport and Active Travel England guidance on floating bus stops issued in January 2026.
What people said in 2017
TfL’s consultation report, updated in January 2019, is attached to the Cabinet papers. It received 5,388 direct responses on the whole route. On the Hammersmith Road section:
| Response | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly support | 2,118 | 45% |
| Support | 908 | 19% |
| Neither | 457 | 10% |
| Oppose | 266 | 6% |
| Strongly oppose | 851 | 18% |
| Not sure | 116 | 2% |
That is 64% in favour and 24% against. Those responses are now nearly nine years old. Of the 1,125 people who commented on this section, 96 said it would increase congestion, the most common point raised. Next came concern about congestion in general (78), about taking away traffic lanes (57) and about air quality (50).
What has still to be settled
Before work can start, the report says:
- the Section 8 agreement has to be finalised, including who pays for maintenance
- TfL has to make traffic orders, which involve a statutory consultation and a 21-day objection period
- utility works have to be coordinated
- the detailed design has to be reviewed
- TfL’s own funding approval has to come through
The final agreement, with any maintenance money TfL agrees to pay, would be signed off by the Executive Director of Place and the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Travel, Cllr Nicole Trehy, rather than coming back to Cabinet.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on Hammersmith Road yet. There is no construction date.
- You will get another say on the traffic orders before the new layout is made permanent. Notices are published and anyone can object within 21 days.
- If you live or run a business near Blythe Road, the junction design is the part still being argued over. Ward councillors for Avonmore and Brook Green are the people to tell.
- To watch the decision, Cabinet meets at 6.30pm on Monday 12 October at Scale Space, 58 Wood Lane, W12, and is streamed on YouTube from the meeting page.
Current roadworks, including the Cycleway 34 work on Wood Lane, are on our roadworks and travel page.
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