Kensington High Street cycle lane decision

Yesterday evening the council decided not to replace the temporary cycle lane on Kensington High Street, which several councillors described as shoddily designed and badly planned, but to work on a better alternative scheme after some research to find the best layout.

The meeting was chaired by Cllr Elizabeth Campbell who said the data was inconclusive and questioned whether a temporary cycle lane, which was put in during the pandemic, should be replaced as we come out of lockdown.

Transport for London (Tfl) statistics show that in the three years to 2020 15 people either walking or cycling were involved in accidents on Kensington Hight Street, but there was no data just on cyclists. It did say there was a 27% chance of a collision by a pedestrian or cyclist on Kensington High Street compared with a borough average of 24%.

A Tfl member who had been involved with installing the temporary cycle lane agreed that: “There were a lot of concerns about emergency vehicles because of the vertical wands [in the temporary scheme]. We were faced with constraints as we had to put the scheme in at pace.” He admitted that more use could have been made of the central section of the road, and that a new scheme should make better use of of space.

During lockdown 3000 cyclists a day used the temporary cycle lanes. RBKC Labour Group Leader Cllr Pat Mason described Kensington High street as like a motorway. “We need to have a plan to redirect traffic through Kensington High Street. We are going to have to do this anyway under the climate change emergency policy,” he said. “Twenty years ago we said no to bus lanes because we said it would disrupt the flow of traffic.” He argued for a properly safe and properly designed cycle lane to be installed, not the “shoddy [temporary] one that was put in.”

Many residents supported cycling and a new cycle lane said Cllr Anne Cyron, but agreed the temporary cycle lane was a flawed scheme and that “many local people think we can do better.” She said residents did not want to support a scheme that was perceived to be dangerous and one that ended up in gridlock.

Cllr Catherine Faulks said that a balance needs to be found that works for everyone. “We need a green, clean and healthy street that promotes an active life. An ecosystem that can support a lot of different things.” This, she argued, would attract business and shops. “Now is the time we have to change and create spaces fit for the future.”

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell concluded the meeting by saying: “We will not be reinstalling the temporary cycle lane … as lockdown eases we should do a post-Covid survey to see what is happening and then design a transport strategy. We need to see what post-Covid habits are, what permanent changes will be. We do need to make it safe for walkers. We can’t put schemes in willy nilly. It might take a year to get a comprehensive study.”