Park Lane cycle lane to be made permanent, Transport for London decides

The Park Lane cycle lane is to be retained and made permanent, Transport for London announced on Wednesday.

The bi-directional lane, which runs along the western edge of Park Lane’s northbound carriageway, is often blamed by motorists and some Tory politicians for causing traffic jams.

But TfL said it was used for 2,400 cycle trips a day and reduced the number of cyclists using a nearby parallel route within Hyde Park, where there is a risk of colliding with pedestrians.

TfL published the result of a consultation which sought views on whether to retain the mostly segregated bike lane, which was first introduced in 2020 during the pandemic.

A total of 3,171 responses were receved - with support for the lane only narrowly ahead of scrapping it.

There were 974 responses that supported the scheme - but 947 that expressed concern about a negative impact on traffic congestion. Of these, 696 responses opposed the scheme or suggested its removal.

TfL said there was 31 per cent “general support” for the cycle lane and “vision” - but 30 per cent of respondents said it had a negative impact on traffic congestion, including displacing vehicles through other areas.

Fraser Macdonald, TfL’s stategic consultations lead, said: “After careful consideration of all consultation responses, monitoring data, and impact on equalities, we have decided to retain the changes made to Park Lane permanently.”

TL said its vision for Park Lane - which forms the western boundary to the congestion charge zone and is heavily used by drivers seeking to avoid the West End - was for it to be “much less dominated by motor traffic and be a much less intimidating place for everyone”.

It said: “We believe that the new scheme has helped to make cycling along Park Lane easier: our monitoring shows that thousands of people are now cycling on Park Lane.

“The scheme has also made active travel and public transport a more attractive alternative to using private motor vehicles, freeing up road space for buses and essential traffic.”

The decision was welcomed by the London Cycling Campaign, which said it was “good news for London”. Westminster council also wanted the scheme to be retained.

But Susan Hall, the Tory frontrunner to become the party’s mayoral candidate, said she would axe the cycle lane if she defeated Sadiq Khan and became mayor next year.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, which represents the black cab trade, said it should be reconsidered as it had caused “significant disruption, have added to congestion, and have impacted journey times without delivering significant benefits to other road users”.

TfL said the north-south route - both on Park Lane and within the park - was in the top 10 per cent of routes in London in terms of current cycling rates, and the top 10 per cent for potential increases in cycling.

Opponents have questioned why cyclists cannot use the cycle route on Broad Walk in the park. But the park gates are closed at dusk - which causes problems for commuters in winter.

The consultation found:

• 41 per cent think the scheme will encourage more people to walk.

• 53 per cent think the scheme will encourage more people to cycle.

• 49 per cent think the scheme will lead to fewer people using motor vehicles for private journeys.

However, there was evidence that the number of people in favour was similar to the number opposed:

• 31 per cent of respondents stated general support for the Park Lane scheme and vision

• 30 per cent raised concern that the scheme has a negative impact on traffic congestion, including displacement of traffic to other nearby areas

• 22 per cent suggested that it is preferable to cycle in Hyde Park than on Park Lane

• 22 per cent suggested to remove the cycle lane and the scheme altogether

• 17 per cent raised concern that the scheme reduces air quality in the local area

• 13 per cent raised concern that the new infrastructure is not used

TfL said it would make changes to the scheme, in light of comments made during the consultation. These will include removing sections of the route where cyclists are guided onto the pavement.

TfL will also move all bus stops from the pavement and relocate them on “floating” bus stopislands, adjacent to the road.

Mr Macdonald, in a letter to people who had taken part in the consultation, said: “We have already seen a switch of people cycling on Park Lane rather than Broad Walk and if the cycle lanes are kept on Park Lane we can encourage more cyclists out of Hyde Park.”