Twickenham residents can now feed back on the council's proposed cycle improvements on three of the borough's major roads, but some local residents have expressed concerns about the scheme.

Consultation for the proposals for Strawberry Vale, Twickenham Road, and Manor Road close on Friday July 30.

While local cyclists have spoken in support of the scheme, calling it ambitious, some residents are concerned about the lack of communication with residents about the plans, the introduction of Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ), and the expense of the scheme.

Brian Holder, Teddington Society Roads & Transport Group Leader, expressed particular concerns about plans for Strawberry Vale.

He said: "The present cycle lanes from Ferry Road to Cross Deep have been in place very successfully for the best part of 25 years without any major problems, and as far as I am aware, there have been no requests from local residents for changes to the layout, and certainly not for new CPZs in local side roads to cope with any vehicles displaced by the proposed scheme.

"It is incredibly disappointing that local residents and their Amenity Societies were not invited to participate in a pre-planning review to ascertain whether changes to the present cycle lanes are needed, and even more disappointing that roads that have previously rejected CPZs might find themselves in a compulsory CPZ against their wishes.

"Local residents were totally unaware that unknown traffic engineers had produced plans for a completely new cycle lane layout that were to be disclosed at an Active Travel Advisory Group (ATAG) public meeting on Tuesday 6th June. As a member of ATAG, and previously a member of the Borough's Cycle Liaison Group for over 20 years, I would have expected to receive an advance copy and/or notice of the plans - but none were forthcoming.

When Holder found out about the council's plans he forwarded the information to other local residents.

He said: "I received an email link via the Teddington Society Vice-Chaiman and realised that this major, and very expensive and controversial proposal, would come as a great shock to to all residents affected.

"I immediately circulated the link to residents on my Consultation/Information list, which included a few residents from the affected roads.

The council has sent letters to residents near to the proposed improvements, but Holder feels that plans of this magnitude should have been postponed until consultation meetings could take place in person, post lockdown.

He said: "I understand that subsequently, residents along the proposed route will have been sent a letter (which I have not seen) explaining the plans.

"I have no doubt that the announcement of this planned cycle scheme should have been delayed until a Public Consultation post-COVID19 Meeting could take place, at which the engineers could have explained the proposed scheme to residents, and taken on board all comments made.

"My immediate reaction to the scheme is that it is not necessary, and money would be better spent on building a new Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge over the Thames just below Eel Pie Island to join Ham and Twickenham with major economic benefits for both sides.

"This was a long standing policy of the Borough's Cycle Liaison Group, and subsequently adopted by the Teddington Society and others.

"It was also recommended as first choice when a river crossing review took place a few years ago - it also means that an upgraded cycle route is no longer required.

"As far as design issues are concerned, we know from experiences at Kingston Bridge and the new Kew Cycle Lane that many experienced cyclists avoid using cycle lanes because overtaking is difficult and they are delayed by slower cyclists.

"We now also have the issue of electric scooters with their variable speed limits, with no agreed pecking order for cycle lane priority - and what about electric bikes, where do they fit in?

"As far as CPZs are concerned there is little enthusiasm for them, with very poor response rates overall, with only 7 of the 20 roads listed by a local Councillor as being candidates for new CPZs achieving a 50%+ response rate, and only two roads, Luther Road and St Marys Avenue, achieved a 50%+ vote for a CPZ.

"The now outdated Strawberry Hill/Teddington "consultation" figures are much worse, and much needed changes to the questionnaires used were not made - for example, officers don't even know how many residents drive to work and leave empty spaces for most of the day."

What do you think about the proposals? Send us a reader's letter for the chance to be published on Nub News.

The proposal divides the stretch of road into sections with suggested measures that include:

- Widening stretches of the cycle lane by placing parking partly onto the pavement (there will be sufficient pavement width remaining to ensure there is no negative impact on pedestrians)

- Improved cycle lane facility with light segregation by installing wands and armadillos

- Double yellow line waiting restrictions 'at any time'

- Fully segregated off carriageway cycle facility

The consultation closes on Friday 30th July.

To request a paper questionnaire or another format contact: 020 8891 1411 or email: [email protected]