Campaigners launch court bid to force council into reinstating controversial cycle lane

By Owen Sheppard, local democracy reporter

Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to Kensington and Chelsea Council’s controversial decision to scrap a major cycle lane.

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 claimed 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 “reinstate” 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 action. They concluded it was based on research on what transport habits may be like after the pandemic.

The campaigners also suggest the council has a record of refusing to build cycle lanes in the borough, and point to its veto in 2019 of a cycle lane through Holland Park and Notting Hill Gate.

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “The Kensington High Street scheme was a temporary solution to an urgent problem but permanent changes to our roads need full and proper consultation. The council’s leadership team unanimously agreed to commission research into transport options in a post-Covid world. This decision was based on a detailed report by technical officers and is freely available on the council’s website.

“This has been a divisive issue throughout our communities and we would urge both sides to work with us constructively on longer term options that work for everyone.”

The council has 21 days to respond to BetterStreets4KC’s application for a judicial review.