We are group of local volunteers wanting to make our streets safer, healthier and happier, now and for future generations. Better Streets for Kensington & Chelsea 

Summary - RBKC removed the protected cycle lanes from Kensington High Street in December 2020, before they were fully installed, after just seven weeks of them being in place. 

In that time the lanes were hugely successful, with cycle numbers more than doubling to 3-4,000 journeys a day. Children and key workers were able to ride safely to school and work, many for the first time on what is one of London's most dangerous roads. The removal prevented the trial scheme from running its course and gathering data. We believe this decision was unlawful, but above all we want RBKC to do the right thing for people's health and wellbeing.

Who supports safe cycling on High Street Kensington?

Over 80 organisations have stated publicly their support for safe cycle lanes on this route. This includes the two major NHS Trusts covering our borough; high street retailers like Waitrose; world class university Imperial College London; and iconic venues like the Royal Albert Hall. This isn’t an obscure wish of some cult of cycling obsessives. This is a basic request from Londoners to be able to get from A to B in a safe and sustainable way that is being blocked by RBKC. You can see the list of those who want safe cycle lanes here Supporters of the HSK Cycle Lane  

Call to action - We are raising £10,000 to fund a judicial review against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. We need your support: please contribute and share this page.

What are we trying to achieve? - The Kensington High Street cycle lanes were the only safe segregated lanes on any of RBKC's roads and they formed an essential part of the East-West corridor used by thousands of people every day, providing the only safe cycle route across west London. For many it made cycling an option for the first time.

We want:

• A fair – and lawful decision;
• RBKC to recognise the mistakes made in 2020, and re-build trust;
• Immediately re-instate the cycle lanes on High Street Kensington to provide a safe mode of transport, in line with government guidance;
• Independent monitoring and review of the cycle lanes against agreed metrics and criteria over 12 months;
• Start plans now with stakeholders for consultation on the permanent solution for safe cycling on this key route; and
• Embrace the vast range of support from organisations across society, and switchgear to start working with our community as a whole to put together what will be RBKC’s first real strategic plan for walking and cycling.

More info at High Street Kensington 

What is the next step in the case? - We originally filed a pre-action protocol letter in December 2020. Our claim papers were issued in the High Court and served in mid June of this year and we are now awaiting permission from the courts to proceed.

How much we are raising and why? - We are seeking to raise £10,000 to reflect potential costs.

We have been very fortunate that the Environmental Law Foundation are helping us pro-bono, together with barristers expert in this field who are also working for free. We can’t thank them enough. We are ourselves volunteering our time. The out of pocket expenses such as court filing fees are small. 

The substantial costs we face are if we lose, and the costs of RBKC are awarded against us. Under the Aarhus Convention, environmental claims such as ours should benefit from a cap on our legal costs under the Aarhus Convention, as this includes a requirement that environmental litigation should not be "prohibitively expensive", and we have applied for a cap of £10,000.

Of course, we think our case is strong and that we will win. But nothing is guaranteed, and we also need to show funding to the Court for our case to proceed. In the event that we win, the money we raise through this crowdfunding will not go to RBKC’s lawyers, but to two excellent charities: the Environmental Law Foundation, and the Westway Trust. So your donation will not be wasted.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. We could not have got this far without your letters of support, your time and your energy. Thank you.