The Knightsbridge Partnership and The King’s Road Partnership BIDs have responded to Transport for London’s (TfL) Central London Bus Review on behalf of more than 600 businesses on the Brompton Road and King’s Road.

Responding to TfL, Knightsbridge Partnership and King’s Road Partnership BIDs CEO, Steven Medway, noted that the bus routes considered in the consultation serve a mix of residents and visitors in larger numbers than most London districts as well as a wide range of employees in retail and hospitality, nursing and other medical professions, the BID response highlighted:

• Employees often work long and anti-social hours and are dependent on the bus services as an affordable and safe means of transport
• Concern that the proposals in the review will leave the districts poorly served by public transport, with just one tube station each – Knightsbridge and Sloane Square
• Private car use is prohibitively expensive owing to increasing fuel costs and congestion and environmental charges imposed by the Mayor to deter driving in central London.

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Steven added: “This will also impact the vitality of businesses in these important shopping, hospitality and cultural centres. Our shops and restaurants are already suffering from the impact of the pandemic, particularly because of a reliance on international visitors who are only now starting to return.

“TfL’s plans to reduce the service level of our districts’ main public transport facilities making it more difficult for visitors to access Knightsbridge and The King’s Road, will be an additional blow to these businesses.

“We also believe there are opportunities on the Brompton Road for improvements to traffic flow to create an environment more fitting for an International Centre and would like to explore with TfL short and long-term options for improvements.”