A freedom of information (FoI) request has revealed behind-the-scenes coordination between a borough council and a business group over the December 2020 dismantling of a pop-up cycleway on London’s Kensington High Street.
The head of news at Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC) edited what was supposed to be an independent press statement from the chair of Kensington Business Forum (KBF), reveals the FoI request by Steve Pettitt, a scientist at London’s Institute of Cancer Research.
Names on the FoI documents have been redacted, but according to Linkedin, RBKC’s head of news is Lyndsey Hannam, and KBF’s chair is Tom Frost, a director of London real estate firm Bricks & Mortar Consulting.

Jon Henley Thu 31 Dec 2020 08.00 GMT

Cities seized the chance to make more space for people and bikes
The pandemic acted as a catalyst for urban transformation, with authorities in many cities around the world seizing on spring lockdowns to reclaim the streets for pedestrians and cyclists. The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said it was “out of the question” to return to pre-Covid traffic and pollution levels, opening about 20 miles of new bike lanes, announcing plans for another 30, and sealing off a major east-west artery, the Rue de Rivoli, to private cars.

Who needs the arrow of time, anyway? Roman Krznaric, an author and philosopher, is in search of unconventional ways of thinking about time, ones that aren’t tied directly to the clocks ticking all around us. In one exercise, he imagines his young daughter as a 90-year-old, cradling her first great-granddaughter in her arms.
“I look at her face, her old face, and I walk over to the window and look at the world outside, and see what kind of world that is,” he said. “I think of my daughter, or her great-grandchild, living well into the 22nd century — a time which is not science fiction, but an intimate family fact.”

At the turn of the 20th century, the Catalan engineer Ildefons Cerdà had a revolutionary idea for extending Barcelona beyond the cramped confines of its medieval walls. In the grid system of the extension he planned, each city block would be built around a large open space or patio, designed to be a park for residents.

When he began his work, the old city was hemmed in physically and psychologically, desperately overcrowded and disease-ridden, with frequent outbreaks of cholera and a lower life expectancy than London or Paris.

I’m talking about the UK’s approach to roundabouts. But before I delve in, it’s worth taking a step back and ask what roundabouts are for.

We’ve answered the what, why and where questions to tell you everything you need to know about London’s LTNs. 

We’re working with London’s boroughs to monitor feedback on LTNs and see how they impact people, local areas and the City as a whole.
Contact your local borough to share your feedback or let us know in the comments.