A new temporary cycle lane the length of one of London’s busiest shopping roads is set to be approved to encourage commuters to keep out of their cars.
The ‘pop-up’ route from Hammersmith to Westminster would run along Kensington High Street, which currently has no dedicated cycling space.
Tubes are currently running at just 15 per cent of their capacity making it hard for many commuters to return to their offices on public transport.
Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead Member for Transport at Kensington and Chelsea council, said: “Our absolute priority is protecting lives and protecting livelihoods as lockdown eases. This means making social distancing as easy as possible, supporting our local economy and keeping people safe.
“We’re working with local businesses and residents to see how a temporary cycle lane on Kensington High Street could help to make active travel an option for more people while attracting shoppers back to our borough.”
The Conservative run council has applied to Transport for London to help fund the project.
Tom Frost, Chair of The Kensington Business Forum, said: “It is imperative that we all come together to protect and support our community. If there are measures that can ease the impact as we emerge from this pandemic, such as this temporary cycle route to bring custom safely back to our shopping locales, then we should explore all of these opportunities.
The council is accelerating work on planned cycleways including a new route serving Shepherd’s Bush, Notting Hill and Holland Park and a route from Kensington High Street to Notting Hill, alongside a £100,000 investment in cycle and an upgrade to the Chelsea Bridge Road cycle lane in the coming months.
