Disruption Possible During RideLondon This Weekend

The cycling route on Sunday will pass along the A4 towards Chiswick Bridge

Some travel disruption is likely this weekend due to the Prudential RideLondon cycling event which will pass close to Chiswick on Sunday, August 4th.

There will be local road closures in force from early Sunday- 0500 until 14.30 in the afternoon as the route of the cycle takes it from central London along the A4 from the Hammersmith Flyover, up Cromwell Road, along the A316 and over Chiswick Bridge before turning into Sheen and heading to Richmond Park and Kingston upon Thames.

Read the full road closures for Chiswick here

Details of road closures and bus service disruption are also available at; www.tfl.gov.uk/prudentialridelondon Kew Bridge and Richmond Bridge will remain open.

While no road closures are planned on roads managed by the Highways Agency, the closure of local roads in London and parts of Surrey could lead to more traffic on major roads such as the M4 and M25. This happened during last year's Olympic cycling events.

Steve Bush, Highways Agency Emergency Planner said: “We will be monitoring the traffic on our roads and working with the event organisers to help keep road users moving during the weekend. We are asking drivers to plan ahead of their journey in this area, whether it is your normal journey or going on holiday, and to allow extra time.

There is also potential disruption along the RideLondon FreeCycle route in central London on Saturday 3 August. FreeCycle is a free, family friendly bike ride which will take place on closed roads within Westminster and the City of London to allow participants to experience the fun and freedom of cycling in London.

On Sunday 4 August road users are also advised to avoid driving in east, central and southwest London, and in the affected parts of Surrey, for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and Classic events.  Maps and details of road closures and estimated re-opening times are available at www.gosurrey.info.

The RideLondon event in London and Surrey will be the largest mass participant cycling event ever, with both professionals and ordinary cyclists participating in four separate events.

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, London’s Transport Commissioner said: “This is going to be a fantastic event, which cements London’s growing reputation as a major cycling city. It will draw thousands of cycling fans from across the country to enjoy the event and all that London and Surrey have to offer.

“However, this is the largest event London’s streets will have seen since the Olympics. Hosting such an event means we must close to traffic many bridges across the Thames and hundreds of roads in large parts of east, central and south west London.

“During the London 2012 Games, Londoners and businesses took sensible steps to plan ahead and adapt their travel. I’m urging everyone to do that once again so that they don’t get caught out, and can continue to get around and enjoy the weekend.”

Additional Highways Agency traffic officers and incident support units will be ready to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible and patrols will be positioned at key locations to ensure a swift response.

Drivers can use a range of Highways Agency services to check real-time traffic conditions - they include an iPhone app, mobile website and regular updates on our Twitter feed at @HAtraffic_seast.

Another reminder that full details of the events, including route maps, can be found on the event organisers website: www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk

July 31, 2013