In September 2017, Sadiq Khan announced the cycleway ‘CS9/C9’ would link Kensington Olympia to Brentford Town Centre. The cycleway aimed to increase the number of cyclists on the road to promote better mental and physical health. This was an attempt to improve air quality in London, by reducing the number of cars on the road and to get people cycling. The cycleway was originally named 'CS9' but has since been renamed ‘C9.'

This 'CS9' cycleway would go along Chiswick High Road. The plans didn’t include removing the bus lane or limiting some areas of Chiswick High Road to one lane. On August 11 2020, Mark Frost, a Hounslow councillor, agreed to open a temporary Cycle Lane, 'C9,' and this sparked outrage among Chiswick’s citizens, as the TfL plans for 'C9' had not been discussed with them.

In contrast to 'CS9', 'C9' would remove the bus lane along Chiswick High Road, and limit areas of Chiswick High Road to one lane. It also proposed to remove pavements and uproot 4 mature trees. Hounslow claims that because it was simply a modified version of 'CS9' which had been approved by the Hounslow Cabinet in September 2019, 'C9' would pass with flying colours.

There were other differences between 'CS9' and 'C9.' For example, there were 'bus islands' in the revised 'C9' plans, meaning that residents would have to cross the cycle lane to get to the unsheltered bus stop. There were complaints from residents of Chiswick that Hounslow had unlawfully passed this new cycle lane. They had been consulted on the plans for 'CS9' back in Autumn 2017 but had not been consulted on the revised plans for 'C9' and the government has seemingly used the consultation procured in Autumn 2017 relating to 'CS9,' as their 'C9' consultation.

While the cycleway is lawful at present (28 Feb 2021,) OneChiswick, an organisation that aims to “reclaim Chiswick’s streets by reversing poorly-designed road changes which have harmed our community and it’s harmony,” has taken it to court, claiming that Hounslow Council acted unlawfully when they approved TfL’s proposal to install 'Cycleway 9.' On 12 February 2021, the High Court sat to discuss the legal challenge set in place by OneChiswick, and on 17th June 2021, they will have a court hearing to put forward their case.

Many citizens argue that the cycle lane isn’t beneficial to the local area. While cycling is good for physical and mental health, I think that the “bus islands” are dangerous and potentially life-threatening.

Athina Radicopoulos, a resident of Chiswick who regularly uses the bus said “I think that it’s important to encourage people to cycle, especially during Covid-19. Mental health is so important right now, and lockdown is taking its toll on people. Physical exercise is a way to combat this, and so I think this scheme is potentially very beneficial for people and the environment alike. However, the cycle lane is incredibly dangerous to people getting off buses. I think that, while the government should be encouraging people to cycle, they should be doing it in a safer way.”

Liza Poliakova, who uses the bus daily, said “although the idea to encourage cycling is grounded in great principle – to move towards a more environmentally sustainable way of living; the sheer impracticality of the new bus stops can overshadow the good intention behind this scheme.”

Grace Connor, a student at a local school, who regularly uses the bus has noticed that it takes her “an extra half an hour to get to school. Although the scheme encourages more people to cycle to work and school, having congestion on the roads because of the lack of lanes will result in more pollution. If cars are on the road for longer they will release more harmful chemical and fumes into the atmosphere than normal.“

Overall, I think that the scheme is beneficial on a wider scale, but Hounslow Council has been too fast to implement a cycle lane and haven’t taken into account how it will impact Chiswick. The council acted ignorantly and without properly consulting the residents. This could mean that, in Chiswick, the scheme will not have the desired effect. There will likely be more accidents related to cyclists, and there will be more congestion along the high road resulting in more pollution, and lower air quality.