Locals block Quietway on exclusive London private road

@darrenleroy

I ride down here all the time and it's by far the quietest, safest stretch of road I've ever ridden in London.

I totally agree with you. the size of this road is huge - there is so much room and so few cars able to use it that it's easily the safest, quietest rat run for cyclists I've ever used in London.

Makes not a jot that it's not granted quietway status just a shame the powerful and influential don't understand the benefits of promoting increased cycling and their preferred use of motor car.

It's not surprising though is it. I wonder if they all pay their congestion charges...

They'll cite security as a reason to fob it off.

This doesn't sound like a problem. The Quieteay will end at the start of this road, then the cycle along Kensington Palace Gardens, and pick up the Quietway again at the other end. The only thing missing will be signage on Kensington Palace Gardens itself.

As the road is almost traffic free, it's even better than the rest of the Quietway.

I did like the typical NIMBY response:

<blockquote>“A number of responses raised concerns that the proposals would be detrimental to the tranquillity of the road.

“This concern seems to be related to a view that the numbers of bikes on the road would increase quite substantially.”</blockquote>

Damm those noisy bikes!

<blockquote>In practice, though, the road will not be off-limits to cyclists, who can access it round the clock, unlike rat-running drivers</blockquote>

We need more roads in London with this feature.

Perhaps a fun detour for the next crictical mass.

I ride down here all the time and it's by far the quietest, safest stretch of road I've ever ridden in London.

Certainly if I were to become rich and powerful I'm damned if I'd want to share my road with poor people.  And as for poor people on bicycles ..... it's too ghastly to think about.

Isn't there something in land law about pathway that is commonly used, even if it's on private land, granting right of access to the public? There's definitely a bunch of case law on that sort of thing.

Too long ago for me to remember if any of it's relevant..

Kensington, you say, where have I heard that before?

This isn't necessarily simply about excluding cyclists, it's about excluding plebs (i.e. ordinary, tax paying British citizens) from being in the same environment and using the same facilities as the rich and powerful.

Although Kensington Palace gardens is a historic example and also contains high security  sites, this is a worldwide phenomenon that is on the increase.

If it is private land then, short of compulsory purchase, there's not much that can be done.

They could probably block cycling too if they wanted to.

Surely this is just down to designation. If the "Quietway" runs up to each end of the gated (to motorised vehicles) Kensington Palace Gardens then it's hardly an inconvenience for cyclists to just ride along what is in reality quite a quiet although not a "quietway" road to join up the ends of the designated "Quietway".

OK, I'll quit now. Quite.

I can't imagine it's that quiet when drivers come and go in all those cars....funny how people feel bikes are a danger to peace and tranquility and 1-2 tonnes of metal are ok.

Pretty well demonstrates everything that is wrong with cycle provision in this country: the rich and powerful drive cars and can prevent decent cycle provision.