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Kensington High Street cycle lane 'must be reinstated' say campaigners in new court claim

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date18 June 2021
Date18 June 2021
The route through Kensington High Street, separated from traffic by “wand” bollards, was removed by Kensington and Chelsea Council in late 2020, only seven weeks after it was installed.

Paid for with £320,000 from TfL, it was intended to link up a mile-long gap between Hammersmith and Westminster.

But it quickly proved divisive. Businesses along the High Street complained it made parking more difficult and residents groups said it increased congestion.

Organisations such as Imperial College, local schools and cycling groups said it created a vital piece of safe infrastructure for cyclists between central and West London.

Now, campaigners from BetterStreet4KC have followed through with a threat to take the council to court over the removal of the cycle lane, and force them to "re-instate" it.

On June 18 they submitted an application for a judicial review of the council’s actions, claiming it was “unlawful” to remove the cycle lane midway through a trial period – before traffic data was available.

The campaign’s open letter to council leader Elizabeth Campbell reads: “We take no pleasure whatsoever in being forced into this course of action…

“The chronology of events is now well known – a safe cycle lane finally installed in the autumn of 2020 after at least a decade of consideration, removed at the beginning of December after just seven weeks. You refused to listen to our pleas to pause and reflect, but rather ripped it out using a ‘special urgency’ procedure rushed through just hours before a full Council meeting.”

On March 17, the council’s cabinet members reviewed whether removing the cycle lane had been the best course of...

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