Forum Topic

New Layout for Hammermsith Gyratory

If you care about the future of Hammersmith take the time to give your backing to the excellent plans for the gyratory. https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/hammersmith-gyratory?cid=hammersmith-gyratoryThis section of road gets blocked up all the time because there are too many cars on the road and the only way to reduce congestion and pollution is to encourage people to cycle and use public transport which this scheme will succeed in doing.

Mark Evans ● 3364d10 Comments

On your bike Charlie rather than your polluting exhaust. Let's try to make hammersmith a healthy green and pleasant land.

Robert Glen ● 3152d

I believe the consultation has been extended for a few weeks as there was an administrative mess-up and consultation notices weren't delivered to some streets in the area.It is really TfL and the council ensuring everything is done by the book in case someone takes them to a judicial review for not following proper process.Given the initial consultation was heavily in favour, I don't expect there will be many changes to the substance of the scheme.

Michael Robinson ● 3153d

Mystified to see Charlie Dewhirst a local Conservative Councillor kicking off about this now that the consultation is done and dusted. What's the point in raising a fuss at this point?

Mark Evans ● 3157d

'The route has cycle specific lights so westbound cyclists would be held at a red where the path goes past Shepherds Bush Rd when traffic exiting Beadon Rd has a green.'This assumes that cyclists will stop at the red lights. There seems to be some confusion about the way pedestrian crossing is expected to operate. The crossing at the bottom of Shepherd's Bush Road was to be removed as part of the original proposal. This may be reconsidered but there is no firm commitment to do so. For TfL to describe this as 'lightly used' is comic.The crossing further around near the end of King Street seems to be staying where it is. It already gets hugely congested and if pedestrians from the other crossing were also forced to cross at this point it would be even more of a scrum. Can't begin to think why TfL thought this might be a good idea and if 57% of people really do support the proposals in full they can't have read or understood the consultation documents.

Paul Corcoran ● 3182d

I think the light phasing is meant to ensure there isn't a conflict between traffic exiting Beadon Rd and the cycle route.The route has cycle specific lights so westbound cyclists would be held at a red where the path goes past Shepherds Bush Rd when traffic exiting Beadon Rd has a green.

Michael Robinson ● 3277d

Looking at the plans the arrangements at the end of Beadon Road seem fundamentally unsafe to me. The traffic emerging from that road on to the gyratory will naturally look right and will tend to miss cyclists coming from the left. They will be approaching from the 'wrong' side of the road so anyone unfamiliar with the junction will not be expecting them. This will be exacerbated by moving the pedestrian crossing further south because vehicles will tend to hurry out of Beadon Road if they think the pedestrian phase is about to end.I'm aware that I should have made these comments to the consultation but have only just spotted this.

Andy Jones ● 3285d

I think this is a good point but the current location means that people exiting the Broadway Shopping centre can't see the traffic coming from around the corner. All to often people take a chance and cross anyway if they are too impatient to wait for the lights.

Mark Evans ● 3348d

Having looked at the plans the change that stands out to me is the relocation of the pedestrian crossing outside Hammersmith Broadway. As far as I can work out you will no longer be able to walk out of the station directly towards King Street but will have to turn left and walk around the gyratory for a bit to cross and then walk back up on the other side of the road.I am guessing this is being done for safety reasons because when people cross outside the station they can't see oncoming traffic because of the curve in the road. However what is inevitably going to happen is that most people will cross at this spot anyway, if necessary waiting for the pedestrian phase further down the road. People coming from King Street will be able to see that traffic is held at the lights and will cross anyway but at every phase someone will be taking a chance that they can make it before the traffic reaches them.

Ellen Kearney ● 3349d

In general  I think the new layout for the gyratory looks pretty good if you are cycling along the A315.It doesn't do much if you are heading to or from Hammersmith bridge but the consultation says this will depend on a larger project to remove the gyratory.  This will require extensive changes to the bus station and bus routes but it doesn't give an indication when this may happen other than it is "long term".Heading westbound along Hammersmith Rd, the route does what a lot of cyclists do already and goes via the traffic island at the end of Hammersmith Rd.  Heading eastbound along King St, it seems logical to extend the existing segregated path as this just gives up at the moment and this will also improve access to shops on King St for people on bikes.Plans for the route along the rest of the A315 through H&F and Hounslow should be out later this year.

Michael Robinson ● 3363d

I am not against encouraging bus and cycle use but some consideration does need to be given to the extra congestion that will result by giving them more priority. The consultation documentation seems to accept that the flow of traffic north from the Fulham Palace Road will slow even further and generally the gyratory will have a reduced capacity for motor vehicles which inevitably will mean more congestion and pollution.

Paul Corcoran ● 3363d