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Holland Park Avenue (via StreetView)People will die because of "cynical political stunt" says cycling commissioner after Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ditches support for Holland Park cycle lane
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) says it will not support a proposed cycle lane through Holland Park, despite having agreed to a consultation that is still underway. London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, branded the decision “a disgrace.”
A public meeting organised by the Kensington Society was held yesterday evening about the proposed improvements between Wood Lane and Notting Hill Gate.
After the Transport for London team and Will Norman had presented, and before any questions from the public, RBKC announced that it was not going to support the scheme on their roads.
This is despite the fact the consultation is due to run until Sunday.
Norman said: “The council’s actions are a disgrace – they originally supported consulting the public on the plans, and now midway have shamelessly decided to ditch their support, making a mockery of the idea of listening to the public.”
The route was identified in TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis as an important corridor for existing and potential cycling journeys.
The analysis showed that the corridor was in the top five per cent for London-wide current and potential cycling demand and also saw large numbers of collisions involving vulnerable road users.
Despite this, there have inevitably been those who have been campaigning against the work.
These include Jeremy Clarkson, who suggested that the route would see a number of trees chopped down, and actress Felicity Kendal, who told the London Evening Standard that the proposals would “cause considerable lack of trade to the area” by requiring a “short-sighted” reduction in parking spaces.
Norman, concedes that two big trees will be chopped down – “neither in good condition” – but says that more trees will be planted than will be taken out.
“People will die and suffer serious injuries as a direct result of this cynical political stunt,” he said. “The Council’s stubborn opposition to making the borough safer for cyclists and pedestrians is putting residents at risk.
“This stretch of road simply isn’t safe. There have been 275 collisions over the last three years alone, and the vast majority of serious injuries have been to cyclists and pedestrians. Our plans would change this – making it easier to cross busy roads with 15 new pedestrian crossings, and a segregated space for people to cycle safely in west London.
“Many councils across London are going out of their way to make their streets safer, greener and less polluted places, but Kensington and Chelsea are simply refusing to change. They’re harming the wellbeing of their residents and are quite frankly on the wrong side of history.”
Councillor Johnny Thalassites, Lead Member for Transport and Planning at RBKC, responded: “It is not a political stunt to listen to local residents and businesses, reflect their views, and ask for a rethink on their behalf.
“We are surprised that TfL have taken such an aggressive tone, when around 400 people sat in a hall last night to tell them that their plans don’t work.
“We’ve told TfL that we cannot support plans for a segregated cycle lane on Holland Park Avenue and Notting Hill Gate – it risks causing congestion and damaging local air quality.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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Rich residents aside, bear in mind this is the same council that approved Grenfell Towers cladding savings - their moral code and sense of human value are sadly very questionable
Felicity’s been enjoying the good Life for too long.
If the Mayor had put as much effort into this route as he has in rebranding existing cycling infrastructure and then claiming it as his own achievement, we might have got somewhere.
Gilligan's success as cycling czar was due to the then mayor actually backing him with interventions even where the GLA had no authority. The mayoral office comes with a lot of soft-power, a visit can generate lots of positive news coverage for ambitious local councillors etc.
Sadik Khan doesn't have the appetite for it.
Councils have a statutory duty to examine road collisions and to take action to prevent further collisions. It would appear that this council is failing in its duty, which should lead to them being sanctioned and possibly disqualified as councillors. 275 collisions is no trivial matter, but they ignore them. This isn't just incompetence this is deliberately ignoring the safety of road users, and it might be worth the next victim examining the possibility of suing the council.
Edit; I've just realised that this is the same council that fitted the dangerous cladding to Grenfell Tower, so they have a very significant track record of ignoring the safety of anyone who doesn't fit with their rich entitled viewpoint.
Was just about the state the same. How different is it to inaction on a pothole causing a death or serious injury?
Where is London's Mayor, what is he doing to get these councils into line, oh wait, he's doing fuck all as per usual. The law needs changing so that backward thinking councils for the whole of the UK cannot stop these life saving proposals and are forced to build infra or preferred to stop up roads to cycle infra on the existing network.
A "disgrace" isn't a strong enough term!
My understanding is that the Mayor of London does not have power over the councils. If Kensington and Chelsea want to dig their heels in, there is little anyone else can do - except to change the legislation to stop them. Hopefully their behaviour has increased the likelihood of the legislation changing.
Hopefully the people live in Kensington and Chelsea will get their act together as elect some councillors who actually prioritise their needs - Kensington and Chelsea has the one of the lowest rates of car ownership in London, only 37% households have access to a car - http://content.tfl.gov.uk/technical-note-12-how-many-cars-are-there-in-l...
Your anger is misdirected. Please do some research. As stated elsewhere, the Mayor of London cannot override the decisions of councils in this case - he only has a small fraction of control. The Mayoral role is more that of a coordinator - this, in an effort to contain the total power of the role (in a major city). More here:
'Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Thank you, Chairman. The safety of all road users is of paramount importance when it comes to the design and delivery of roads. It is worth reminding colleagues that TfL is responsible for just 5% of London roads. The responsibility for managing London’s road network is shared between TfL, Highways England and the 32 London boroughs plus the City of London [Corporation].
Since I became Mayor we have delivered 10kms of new segregated Cycle Superhighways and over 100kms of new Quietways. These have created a safe space for cyclists by reducing volumes of motor traffic on residential roads. I opened my first Quietway between Waterloo and Greenwich and we are seeing huge growth in that region. I am pleased that Quietway 14, over the road from City Hall, has seen a number of streets closed to cars to benefit local residents and cyclists alike. The Mini-Holland Quietways and Central London Grid programmes are all delivering some segregated space, too. By 2020 more than 30kms of additional protected space will have been delivered through these three programmes.'
This is a microcosm of modern Britain.
Roads and pavements are public spaces yet those with money and profile are allowed to dictate terms far beyond their own properties.
K&C should be ashamed of themselves.
Totally.
Special interest groups, often privileged, wielding undue influence on the development and advancement of the country - for all the people of the country. They like it this way.