New cycle parking racks in Kentish Town Road

• CAMDEN, having acknowledged the reality of the climate crisis last year, needs to enable people to travel sustainably.

Only two-fifths of Camden residents have access to a car so it makes sense to integrate local centres, such as Kentish Town, into a wider active transport network. But the excellent cycle lane from King’s Cross comes to an abrupt end when it meets Kentish Town Road.

The road would be wide enough to accommodate cycle lanes, a point raised repeatedly when the council consulted on how to enable active travel in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But rather than listening to local residents, the council has perversely installed additional on-street cycle parking, exactly where such a lane would need to run.

This lack of cycle lanes locks out all but the most confident cyclists. Few families would risk Kentish Town rush hour to take the kids to school by bike.

The net result? Cycling rates remain broadly static, new parking is an under-used white elephant, and motorists are annoyed at the perceived loss of “their space”. Lose, lose, lose.

JACK FLEMING,
NW5