Cyclists will soon be able to bypass a major Southfields road thanks to a newly approved trial scheme.

A cycling contraflow is being introduced in Furmage Street and Twilley Street, which are both one way to all other forms of traffic but will allow cyclists to travel in both directions.

The change will enable cyclists to avoid Garratt Lane’s busy junction with Kimber Road and offer a short cut between Garratt Lane and cycle routes in King George’s Park.

Wandsworth Council's transport spokesman Paul Ellis said: “This scheme will mean cyclists can avoid the slightly tricky junction where Garratt Lane meets Kimber Road so it should make their journeys here safer.

Your Local Guardian:

"It is part of a wider package of measures designed to encourage people to take to two wheeled travel.

“There are clear and obvious health and air quality benefits if we can get more residents to take up this non-polluting form of transport.

“Introducing convenient short-cuts for cyclists on quieter roads with low traffic volumes is just one of the ways we are encouraging higher levels of bike travel in the borough.”

New signage and road markings, changes to existing traffic island, the introduction of double yellow lines on corners and the use of “armadillos” on the carriageway surface to physically mark out the new cycle lanes will also be introduced as a result.

The council will monitor the system between now and October to gauge its effectiveness and determine whether or not it should be made permanent.