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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
New gardens' bridge will be boost for cyclists
August 26, 2009 6:54 PM
• A NEW cycle crossing over the River Crane in Kneller Gardens is set to be installed in September, and three children from Trafalgar Primary School have been given the honour of choosing its name, after their suggestion was chosen from 500 entries.
Kingfisher Bridge will be installed just after the fork in the river in September, as part of plans to free up the existing bridge for pedestrians. Pupils Laura Findlay, Alexandra Butler and Philippa Burdiss, who between them came up with the name, will be invited to take part in the official opening.
Cllr David Trigg, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking said: "This bridge will be a smart new addition to Kneller Gardens, and will make the area more enjoyable for cyclists to visit - at the moment they are expected to get off their bikes to cross the bridge, but when the new one is in place they can ride straight across.
"The gardens have always been popular with cyclists and the Council is pleased to be making these improvements, which will encourage more people to get on their bikes and use the cycle route to get around the borough in an environmentally friendly way."
The three girls beat hundreds of other pupils at their school, and at Archdeacon Cambridge's School in the naming competition. They were all presented with certificates and a £20 voucher shortly before the end of term.
Linked works to widen or create new paths which can be used by cyclists and pedestrians will take place from late August. This will result in a direct route from Meadway, through Kneller Gardens and over the new bridge into Mereway Road, before continuing behind the Council depot and along Craneford Way. The route will be incorporated into the South West Greenways cycle network - a set of routes across green spaces and along lightly used roads across south west London.
The gardens will not need to close for the works, except for a small rarely-used area in the fork of the river where a new path will be laid and where foliage will be cut back to make the route more welcoming.
The bridge is currently being built off-site and the finished structure will be lowered into place by crane during the week of Monday 21 September. It will be installed approximately 50 metres from the existing footbridge.
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