In maybe the most dramatic improvement for cycling ever in our borough, Wandsworth Council is planning protected cycleways and healthy streets for Queenstown Road, Garratt Lane, Battersea Church Road and Thessaly Road, with low traffic neighbourhoods to be implemented in neighbouring streets. This results in a long post but one worth reading!
Six deputations, including our own addressed February’s council transport committee where transformational active travel proposals received cross-party support. The proposals are the first steps in the action plan for the Wandsworth Environmental and Sustainability Strategy, in response to the council’s declaration of a climate emergency.
A corridor study for Garratt Lane proposed segregated routes from Tooting to Wandsworth, along with a 20 MPH speed limit, public realm improvements and low traffic neighbourhoods reaching as far as Trinity Road. The proposals will now go to conceptual design and consultation.
The Queenstown Road corridor study brought forward segregated cycle routes on one of London’s key routes for cycling demand. The conceptual study and consultation will consider all options but it is vital that the route is made high quality and continuous. The council’s favoured options at this early stage have serious gaps from Queen’s Circus down to Battersea Road and south of the junction with Silverthorne Road.
A petition on road danger and high traffic volumes on Battersea Church Road led to consideration of options to radically improve the route for active travel and residents. We would be delighted to see a bus gate implemented here to bring an end to the tidal rat-runs of traffic.
77% of respondents supported the consultation on a segregated cycleway on Thessaly Road, so this will move forward to detailed design. In related news, with work intensifying on Nine Elms Lane, we are working with Michael Barratt’s team at TfL and the contractors (Conway for the new cycle tracks) involved to ensure that cyclists can travel safely while the works are in progress.
The Twilley/Furmage Street cycling contraflow was discussed at length, with residents speaking for and against. Cross-party amendments and expert officer advice led to the contraflow being made permanent – with the addition of short- and long-term improvements to handle rat-running traffic.
WCC are delighted with the council’s commitment to cycling infrastructure and healthy streets. The council’s recognition of the climate emergency has changed it, almost overnight, from one of London’s most cycling-hostile boroughs to promising to be one of the more forward-looking. We look forward to working with councillors and officers and with local residents and businesses to make implementation of these early-stage schemes speedy and effective.
With all this change happening, we need help to drive it forward. Our meetings are open to all. Please come along to our next meeting, next Tuesday 18th February, 7:30pm, upstairs at the Cat’s Back pub, 86-88 Point Pleasant, SW18 1GG. It is a working meeting and we will be planning more strategic routes for Wandsworth, launching our borough cycling strategy and continuing the climate campaign into the mayoral elections.

A Step Change for Cycling in Wandsworth – Facebook
In maybe the most dramatic improvement for cycling ever in our borough, Wandsworth Council is planning protected cycleways and healthy streets for Queenstown Road, Garratt Lane, Battersea Church Road and Thessaly Road, with low traffic neighbourhoods to be implemented in neighbouring streets. This results in a long post but one worth reading! Six deputations, including… [Read More]