Transport for London (TfL) is set to remove cycle lane bollards from Marylebone Road next month, following widespread criticism and traffic chaos. The £250,000 scheme, part of a £250 million government initiative to promote cycling during the pandemic, reduced the busy arterial road to a single lane each way, causing hour-long gridlock.
The reversal is a humiliating backtrack for Mayor Sadiq Khan, with TfL admitting the cost of restoring the road is unknown. The cycle lane was installed without local consultation, a common complaint across the UK where many councils face backlash over similar 'Low Traffic Neighbourhoods' (LTNs).
In Redbridge, east London, the council scrapped two LTNs after a 4,000-signature petition, with leader Jas Athwal citing a lack of consultation and access issues for emergency vehicles. In Lewisham, an LTN is being reduced after local businesses reported up to 80% customer losses and clean air campaigners condemned the resulting gridlock.
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella died from asthma linked to air pollution, criticised the Lewisham scheme as 'chaotic and badly thought out'. The U-turns come as councils face an 'Active Travel Emergency', trying to dismantle schemes that have fuelled local uprisings across party lines.
