Kingston Council is celebrating the completion of improvement works to Portsmouth Road and the Queen’s Promenade as part of the Go Cycle scheme.

Over the past 15 months the council has been transforming the one mile stretch of road, as part of a £30 million investment by Transport for London and the Mayor of London to improve walking and cycling routes, and revitalise public spaces in the borough. The Portsmouth Road scheme is one of 10 routes that form the borough’s Go Cycle programme to help create healthy streets and change the way people in the borough travel.

Following the success of the scheme, Kingston Council is this month beginning construction works at Kingston Station to transform walking and cycling links between the station and the historic town centre. The council is also part way through construction of the Surbiton to Kingston Go Cycle scheme with the recent completion of a segregated cycle lane on St Mark’s Hill.

To mark the completion of the Portsmouth Road works and the arrival of spring the council is hosting a Portsmouth Road family fun day on Saturday, with an official opening of the new scheme by Deputy Mayor for Transport Val Shawcross and with the Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman in attendance.

The Portsmouth Road opening event will feature family activity including face painting, a bike market, cycle rides and penny farthing displays to celebrate the rich history of cycling in the borough.

British cycling pioneer and former Mayor, Eileen Gray, was from Kingston. Eileen was instrumental in the development of women’s cycling internationally and helped secure the women’s road race at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984. Surbiton resident, John Keen, was the first to build a penny farthing and was known as the “fastest man in the world” racing on them.

Where: Portsmouth Road (next to the Riverside Cafe, KT1 2LZ)
When: Saturday April 22, 2017
Time: 10.30am to 2.30pm
Who: Deputy Mayor for Transport Val Shawcross will officially open the scheme at 10.30am.