Hounslow Council is planning for a protected cycle lane eastbound on the north side of Staines Road and a semi-protected westbound cycle lane on the south side of Staines Road. This section of Staines Road is north of Hounslow Heath.
It is a good idea to provide a protected cycle route here as this is a road with high levels of motor traffic and also has the potential to link Cycle Superhighway 9 with the southern side of Heathrow airport and could eventually provide a route for Heathrow employees to travel to work.
Despite our general support for the concept, we do believe that there are aspects of the plan that could be improved.
- The eastbound “off road” cyclelane on the north of Staines Road should have priority at side junctions, particularly at the entrance and exit to Central Park Estate. The existing sloping pavement at vehicle access points should be replaced with a level surface.
- Motorists should never have to drive over a cycle lane to reach a parking bay.
- The car parking bays should be next to the road, preferably at the same level as the road to avoid damage to the curb. The cycle lane should pass between the car parking bays and the houses, with a similar design as the planned bus stop bypasses.
- We support the plans for bus stop bypasses. Bus stop bypasses should be used on the westbound cycle lane on the south side of Staines Road. The bus should stop in the vehicle lane rather than pulling into the cycle lane.
A better design for car parking next to a cycle lane: removing the need for motorists to drive over the cycle lane to park.