Local council 'delivering on commitments' to make safe cycling route despite strong pushback
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
A new long-awaited cycle lane through Marylebone in London has been approved despite strong opposition from local councillors, parents and residents worried about safety and traffic impacts.
The plans had been met rendered controversial and met with protests, particularly from parents at a nearby school who were worried about cyclists ‘zipping through’ the area.
The scheme, known as Cycleway 43, is being led by Westminster City Council and will run between Edgware Road and Gloucester Place, with the project aiming to create a safer, more accessible route for cyclists and pedestrians as part of the council’s wider active travel commitments.
Opposition to the scheme has been led by Conservative ward councillors Barbara Arzymanow, Ian Rowley and Karen Scarborough, who said more than 50 parents raised concerns about cyclists travelling through George Street and claimed the plans were “badly designed” and “poorly thought-out”, accusing the council of failing to provide full consultation details.
Their formal objection letter stated: “The Marylebone councillors cannot support this badly designed and poorly thought-out proposal. If the cabinet member was confident about these proposals short-cuts would not have been made.”
Just 13 of 153 respondents to the public consultation supported the cycleway, yet the council approved it on the basis of safety needs and policy commitments to active travel, with officials arguing that most serious injuries on Westminster’s roads involve pedestrians and cyclists, making such infrastructure vital.
Defending the decision, Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality Cllr Max Sullivan said: “I make no apology. I was elected on a manifesto to make walking and cycling safer. I make no apology for delivering on those commitments. We are moving forward into delivery.
“The committee’s decision was a vote of confidence in our plans to deliver a safer, more pleasant street for walking and cycling on George Street. And it is desperately needed, Westminster has the highest number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads of any London borough. Most of those people killed and seriously injured are travelling on foot or by bicycle, and they are killed and seriously injured when colliding with cars and goods vehicles.”
“This Labour council was elected on a mandate to make walking and cycling safer and more pleasant, and we make no apology for getting on and delivering it.”
The project was first granted approval in December 2021, with plans later reviewed in 2023 to include George Street for the first time. The revised route is also seen as key to accommodating cyclists displaced by the upcoming pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, where cycling will be banned.
Critics argued that the Oxford Street changes and their potential to increase congestion in Marylebone had not been properly considered. However, council reports identified George Street as “one of several important alternative routes for cycling” in response to those wider transport shifts.
Many cycling advocates have welcomed the council’s decision as a positive step forward, noting that similar projects have often been rejected elsewhere due to local opposition, with supporters stating that such decisions are essential to encourage safe, sustainable travel.