Hospital Bridge Road – proposed changes to your area

Overview

Richmond Council are seeking your views on proposed changes to Hospital Bridge Road between Ashley Drive and the A316 Chertsey Road. The scheme is focused on providing safe facilities for walking and cycling and reducing vehicle speeds while maintaining space for general traffic flow and essential parking needs.

Why are we proposing changes?

The safety of road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, caused by high vehicle speeds were a concern prior to the opening of Turing House School. Turing House School opened its new location on Hospital Bridge Road in spring 2022 which created additional impetus to consider road safety improvements. In anticipation of the school opening, a study was undertaken looking at options to improve safety, walking, cycling and public transport provision along the road. Some changes were undertaken prior to the school opening, including a new pedestrian crossing and provision of wider footways at the junction with Montrose Avenue, as well as narrowing the junction with Nelson Road and introducing a new zebra crossing just south of Nelson Road.

While these changes improved the area closest to the school, the study identified several options to improve the road south of the school site. We are now seeking your views on potential designs to identify a preferred option to be taken forward to construction.

The aim of the proposals is to provide safer crossing facilities and cycling for those travelling along Hospital Bridge Road. We consider this to be the first step to improving wider cycle connectivity in Whitton, linking to existing cycle routes on the A316 Chertsey Road and Percy Road. Richmond Council is also looking at options to improve cycling facilities further afield along the A305 Staines Road.

This consultation asks for your views on two elements of our proposals

The two elements are labelled A and B below.

A. Proposed changes between Ashley Drive and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road

There are three possible options being considered for the area between Ashley Drive and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road. We would like your views on which option you prefer. All three options include:

• Introduction of high-quality, continuous cycling route between Ashley Drive and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road
• Removing superfluous street clutter (such as the historic traffic calming by Ashley Drive)
• A new pedestrian crossing at Longford Road (replaced existing informal crossing/ pedestrian refuge) and by Twickenham Cemetery (replacing existing informal crossing/ pedestrian refuge)
• Raised tables across Ashley Road to improve pedestrian safety
• Introduction of new street trees and greenery where space allows

The removal of pedestrian islands with straight-across crossings should also help emergency vehicles.

Option 1: Two-way cycle track 

A 3-metre wide, two-way cycle track running along Twickenham Cemetery, starting at a crossing at the north junction with Ashley Drive, and ending at a crossing at the junction with Longford Road. The cycle track will connect to a two-way cycle track between Longford Road and Powder Mill Lane on the west side of the road, in turn linking to a widened ‘toucan’ crossing linking to the Hospital Bridge Road slip road/ Crane Park Road. The track would be approximately 400m in length.

With this option, cyclists travelling northwards from the A316 will use the new crossing at Longford Road to access the track, and then use the crossing at Ashley Drive to rejoin vehicle traffic. Southbound cyclists can join the track at its start and at the Longford Road crossing can either rejoin vehicle traffic or use the crossing and two-way track on the west side to reach the cycle crossings at the A316.

This would include the removal of the uncontrolled car parking currently allowed along the east side of the road between Ashley Drive and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road, and along the west side of the road between Longford Road and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road.

Option 2: Separate northbound and southbound cycle tracks

Separate ‘with-flow’ northbound and southbound cycle tracks, 2-metres in width. The northbound cycle track would be approximately 500m in length, and the southbound 400m in length.

This would include the removal of car parking on both sides of the street between Ashley Drive and Powder Mill Lane/ Percy Road.

Option 3: Southbound-only cycle track

A southbound-only 2-metre wide cycle track connecting Ashley Drive to just north of Percy Road, where it widens to two traffic lanes, with cyclists rejoining vehicle traffic on the approach to the junction. As with Option 1, this option will include the removal of the informal car parking on the east side of the road between Ashley Drive and Percy Road.

B. Proposed quiet cycle route: Powder Mill Lane / Percy Road to the A316 Chertsey Road

Hospital Bridge Road widens to two traffic lanes in either direction between Powder Mill Lane and Percy Road, with cyclists required to queue with traffic due to narrow lane widths. At the A316 Chertsey Road roundabout, there are shared pedestrian/cycle crossings across the north, west and south sides, but not on the east. Each of the crossings is staggered and must be crossed in two separate legs.

To provide a quieter, more direct route for cyclists travelling to and from the A316 and beyond, we want to create a ‘quiet’ cycle route along Crane Park Road/ the Hospital Bridge Road slip road by:

• Removing of single links of fencing in two locations on Crane Park Road adjacent to the existing A316 crossings to facilitate a transition of cyclists and pedestrians to/from Crane Park Road
• Widening the pavement between the north end of the slip road and Powder Mill Lane crossing to introduce a link for cyclists
• Widening the existing crossing across Powder Mill Lane to create a share pedestrian/cyclist crossing (also called a toucan crossing)
• Resurfacing Crane Park Road/ the Hospital Bridge Road slip road to create a safe, smooth surface for cycling and improving the quality of the road for local residents

There will be no change to parking provision.

Have your say

Please give us your views by clicking on the Online Survey link below. If you need the materials in hard copy or other accessible format please call 020 8871 7420 or email Transportation@Richmond.gov.uk

You can also make suggestions for travel improvement measures by emailing the borough’s transport team at Transportation@Richmond.gov.uk

What happens next?

Following initial feedback, we will continue to develop our designs with an aim of undertaking a formal consultation later this year.