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Chelsea Embankment

Battersea Bridge junction could become safe, but it’s at risk

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The much anticipated Transport for London report on the Battersea Bridge Safety Improvements scheme has landed! This scheme proposed changes to the lethal junction where Jack Ryan was killed while jogging in January 2021 and a woman suffered life-changing injuries while cycling exactly one year later. After a great campaign by a local resident, TfL installed a pedestrian crossing late 2021 on the bridge, and this was the catalyst to the proposals to make the entire junction safe. However, the council and some vocal local residents only supported installing three pedestrian crossings, and pushing all safety improvements for cyclists into the long term. The people spoke and the response to the proposals was positive – with many people asking for more.

Below is the drawing of the proposed changes (click here to see a larger version on TFL’s website).

We’re pleased to see in this week’s report that the scheme is going ahead as planned – but we are left with some concerns.

It will be safer

The changes to the junction itself look set to significantly improve safety, especially for those walking or cycling. For walking, there will be a signalised pedestrian crossing on each arm of the junction. For cycling, there will be a new short stretch of protected cycle lane approaching the junction going west and dedicated cycle signals. On the eastbound approach, motor vehicles will be banned from turning left into Beaufort Street, to make the traffic light cycles possible. This has the added benefit that people on this side can also cycle safely ahead.  There will also be a new stretch of bus lane on the westbound side.

But will some safety measures be watered down?

While the report says that Transport for London will go ahead with the plans they consulted on, there are a few caveats…

The bus lane: It was proposed to be 24/7, but residents objected, and now TfL say they will reduce the hours that it operates. This reduces safety for people cycling, since a bus lane does offer safer space than mixing with general traffic.

The width restriction on Albert Bridge: the report says TfL will help “the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to review the feasibility of modernising the width restriction on Albert Bridge to 7ft to assist traffic flow, which would help to relieve traffic congestion on other surrounding roads.” This suggests that larger vehicles will be able to use Albert Bridge, again reducing safety. The larger and heavier the vehicle involved in a collision, the more likely a pedestrian or cyclist will be killed. Large vehicles entering Chelsea from Albert Bridge will be more likely to go to Kings Road via Oakley Street, a street dangerous for cyclists.

Unbanning a turn: The report says: “After reviewing our plans for the wider local area, we will also revisit the banned left turn onto Chelsea Bridge from Grosvenor Road to explore whether there is a solution for this junction that provides safety benefits for cyclists but enables the banned turn to be removed”.

Does this mean that objections to drivers being inconvenienced, or fears of traffic congestion, will take priority over safety? Most cycling and walking casualties happen at junctions, and reinstating a turn for motor vehicles makes collisions much more likely to happen.

Rather than increasing flows of motor vehicles on both Albert Bridge and Chelsea Bridge, TfL should restrict itself to reviewing one scheme, and if enacted first monitor its impact.

What about safe protected cycle lanes?

The Embankment, Battersea Bridge itself and surrounding area is hostile and dangerous for cycling. Yet thousands of people need to cycle through it every day, and deserve better safety measures. The single biggest priority for people responding to the consultation was protected cycle infrastructure on Battersea Bridge and area – see the table below.

Yet the report offered little hope to those 138 people asking for safer cycling: “Unfortunately, due to the physical constraints of this listed structure, it is not possible to provide cycle lanes on Battersea Bridge. The priority is to ensure cyclists can safely navigate the junctions as this is where collisions are most likely to occur.”

We think that other solutions could be explored to make cycling safe on Battersea Bridge – cycle lanes are not the only measure. For instance, one of the pavements could be designated as shared space, allowing vulnerable pedestrians to use the other pavement. And a very obvious need is for continuous, protected cycle tracks on the Embankment itself, which was not mentioned in the report. As TfL has expanded the scope by reviewing the junction at Chelsea Bridge, this is the time to also start a review of protected cycle tracks along the Embankment.

What’s next? We will follow up these issues with Transport for London, and we look forward to seeing the construction get underway at the junction. Please remember to join our mailing list if you would like updates about making Kensington and Chelsea’s streets better, safer and greener!

Response to Battersea Bridge safety improvement scheme

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Better Streets Kensington & Chelsea response to Battersea Bridge safety improvement scheme

19 January 2023


Please respond to this quick survey today! The Battersea Bridge safety improvement scheme closes on Tuesday 24 January, and it’s vital that we make this dangerous area safer for everyone walking, wheeling and cycling.

In question 3 of the survey you can write comments. In brief, we’d say that the junction north of Battersea Bridge will be much safer for all modes of transport, but there’s not enough to address active travel in the rest of the scheme – on Chelsea Embankment, on Battersea Bridge itself and going south into Wandsworth. Respond here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/batterseabridge

For a more detailed response, see our consultation response below.

Thanks for supporting a safer Kensington & Chelsea!

About Better Streets Kensington & Chelsea

We’re a group of local volunteers united by a common wish to make our streets safer, healthier and happier, now and for future generations. Across the borough, from North Kensington to Chelsea to Earl’s Court to South Kensington and Notting Hill we bring people together, including parents wanting to be able to walk, scoot or cycle safely to school with their children, students getting to lectures, business people getting to meetings, people shopping locally, all of whom want to breathe and exercise in clean air.

Our overview of the situation on Chelsea embankment can be found here: https://betterstreets4kc.org.uk/campaigns/chelsea-embankment/

Our overview of the situation on Chelsea embankment can be found here:
https://betterstreets4kc.org.uk/campaigns/chelsea-embankment/

Response – Summary

Overall, Better Streets Kensington & Chelsea supports the northern end component of the proposed Battersea Bridge scheme as it will deliver:

1. additional safety and amenity for those cycling through what was previously one of the most dangerous junctions in London,

2. significant improvements for pedestrians at the northern junction.

However, the scheme does not go far enough. There are missed opportunities to enable more people to travel actively and safely across these strategic routes and to reduce motor traffic: cycling on Chelsea Embankment will indeed not be made safer and Battersea Bridge itself will remain hostile to people walking, cycling or wheeling.

Response to TfL’s survey – Question 3

We specifically think that the following additional changes should be considered in order to address the remaining safety gaps and missed opportunities to encourage active travel:

Hook risk – Beaufort Street

We are concerned about people cycling from the north to the south of the junction onto Battersea Bridge because on the Beaufort Street arm of the junction, there is nothing to protect cyclists going ahead from drivers turning left onto Chelsea Embankment. ‘Left hooks’ by drivers are the cause of too many of London’s cycling fatalities. Cyclists are likely to use the left-turn lane for motor vehicles, rather than the lane going ahead, which puts them at more risk. Separation is needed from motor vehicles in regards to time and/or space.

Protected cycle lanes – Chelsea Embankment / Cheyne Walk

Protected cycle lanes are urgently needed on the east-west route especially, which is a top priority strategic cycling analysis route for TfL and used by thousands of cycles daily. Protected cycle tracks here would encourage more journeys by bike and help reduce trips in vehicles. Given that Chelsea Embankment is a Transport for London road and identified as ‘top priority’ in its strategic cycling analysis, why are no protected cycle lanes planned and included in this improvement scheme?

Besides, there is a significant opportunity here to open up cycling between Chelsea and the Fulham end of Hammersmith & Fulham, and thus enable connection between H&F and the City / Canary Wharf.

Cheyne Walk – Safety

On the Cheyne Walk arm of the junction, westbound, the proposed mandatory cycle lane lacks any physical separation from motor vehicles.

Battersea Bridge

On the bridge itself, no improvement is proposed for walking, wheeling or cycling. It is clear that the space is constrained but we would urge TfL to find a solution here that either radically reduces motor traffic or introduces protected space for active travel. Likewise, beyond the bridge heading south into Wandsworth, there is very little to support active travel.

This strategic north-south route needs much more ambitious work if we are to persuade more Londoners to walk, wheel and cycle more frequently. Failure to appropriately treat the roads south of the bridge and the bridge itself for pedestrians, cyclists and other wheelers means that the Thames will continue to be a bottleneck and a barrier suppressing active traveller demand. There are several design approaches that could be used on the bridge – doing nothing isn’t an appropriate one for such a high potential, strategically important point.