Work is about to begin to extend the Kew Road protected cycle lane – all the way to Richmond Circus.

The extension is being funded by £140,000 from Transport for London (TfL).

The introduction of the cycle lane using a system of raised posts last autumn meant Kew Gardens had to re-route its coach drop-off point.

Yesterday we reported Kew Gardens has "concerns" about the new drop-off location, which will have "significant impacts" on the 55,000 pupils who visit each year.

Earlier this month Richmond Council hailed the lane for delivering an "extraordinary surge in bicycle use on the Kew Road" after figures showed weekly users had increased from 397 to 831.

The cycle lane consists of three sections roughly 500m each on both sides of the road. It will soon be extended from Lion Gate Gardens towards Richmond Circus.

Works on this next phase are due to start in early March and are expected to take about four weeks to complete.

This phase includes:

• the introduction of an advisory cycle lane between Richmond Circus and Selwyn Avenue)
• a mandatory 24-hour cycle lane in both directions (between Selwyn Avenue and Pagoda Avenue)
• a new line marking arrangement across the full length of the route

The scheme will be introduced under an experimental traffic management order which will allow residents to give their views on the scheme in its first six months in operation before a decision is made on the next steps.

At a meeting of the council's Transport and Air Quality Committee, councillors discussed a raft of other initiatives to improve cycling provision in Richmond and to make roads safer.

Four of these were:

• plans to develop proposals for a new strategic cycle route in Strawberry Vale
• a new cycle link in Hampton Wick
• a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Ham
• 50 new cycle racks being installed in Richmond town centre and across the borough.