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Have you ever cycled around Holland Park roundabout? Not very fun, is it? But good news — to make it less perilous for cyclists, Transport for London has announced plans to install cycle lanes at the super busy spot.
Holland Park roundabout, which happens to be one of the most dangerous junctions in London, should get a shiny new cycle lane by summer 2025, but first it has to go through multiple rounds of public consultations.
In a consultation that concluded in March 2024, TfL got plenty of positive feedback, particularly from people who thought it would make walking and cycling more appealing in the area.
But you can’t please everyone. There were also a significant number of opponents, with 2,720 people signing a petition created by former Tory MP for Kensington Felicity Buchan. Buchan was up in arms because she worried that making the roundabout safer for cyclists would lead to a cycle lane along Holland Park Avenue, with many trees being cut down.
TfL said this wasn’t the case, and that making it safer for cyclists was essential. It said: ‘Having reviewed the responses to the consultation and taking into account the safety case for the proposals, we have concluded that we will progress the scheme as we originally proposed.’
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said there was ‘absolutely no truth’ in the suggestion that TfL wanted to cut down trees in Holland Park Avenue. ‘There are no plans to cut down trees,’ he told the Standard.
For now TfL is going ahead with the scheme, with further surveys due to take place this autumn.
Time Out’s take
For us, better safety for cyclists and pedestrians can only be a good thing. It means more people will be travelling via green transport, and there would be fewer injuries or deaths. Sounds like a win, win.
Praise the lord: Sloane Square is getting wider pavements.
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