The reality of cycling in Gravesham in 2026

  Below is Gravesham, north of the A2 (apologies to Istead Rise, Cobham and Meopham*): 

Gravesham Borough - North of the A2

And here is the same image, but with Google's layering option of including cycling infrastructure. Google Maps builds its cycling layer by combining official council data, local partnerships, automated mapping, and user feedback to categorise routes by safety and infrastructure. This is what Google will use to recommend cycling routes between two places.

Gravesham Borough, including Google's cycling layer

First-and-Last Mile Infrastructure Gap

The first thing that jumps out is how little of Gravesham is deemed 'cycling friendly'. Gravesham is home to two National Cycling Networks (a series of integrated system of safe, signed paths and routes designated for cycling, walking, and wheeling across a country) - the NCN 177 and NCN 1. The NCN 177 runs along the old A2 from Ebbsfleet to Strood and beyond.  The NCN 1, the first ever route, runs from the centre of town out towards Higham (the entire route connects Inverness to Dover). 

NCN 1

The two routes provide scenic and safe cycling, walking and wheeling and we are incredibly fortunate to have both within the Borough. Not only that, the NCN 177 provides direct access to the Cyclopark which offers a huge range of fitness opportunities, and with a very clear vision of being a community hub for health and wellbeing.

NCN177

The sad reality is however, that both routes are under utilised within the Borough due to the complete lack of safe infrastructure to access either easily by bike or foot. One of the 'dedicated cycling' routes (according to Google) towards the NCN 177, Wrotham Road actually looks like this:

Wrotham Road: 40mph speed limit with nothing other than a painted line to protect cyclists.

The other longest stretch of 'dedicated cycling' routes (again, according to Google) is along the A226 from Lions Garage to Strood, and looks like this:

A226: This stretch is 50mph with just a strip of paint as 'protection'.

Under national guidelines (LTN 1/20), painted lanes on high-speed roads are explicitly recognised as unsafe and ineffective at encouraging active travel.

Why does this matter? 

The benefits of active travel are huge both for the individual and the wider community. This includes, but is far from limited to:

• Reduced mortality and poor health risk
• Enhanced mental wellbeing 
• Reduced air pollution
• Decreased traffic congestion

As well as huge economic benefits for both the individual and local businesses. 

To take just the first benefit - mortality and health risk reduction. It is a sad fact that Gravesham has some of the worst health statistics within the whole of Kent. Government statistics show that

• 40% of Year 6 (10/11yrs) children are considered overweight or obese (compared to 32.7% for Kent)
• 44.4% of Year 6 children are physically active (compared to 49.5% for Kent)
• 69.5% of adults are overweight or obese (63% for Kent)
  

40% of Year 6 children are overweight or obese, with just 44.4% considered 'physically active'

Because of this, Gravesham has been identified by Active Travel Kent as a priority. 

If we want people of all ages - from children riding to school to adults commuting - to choose cheap, clean, and healthy travel, we must build physical routes that regular people (and not just hardened 'cyclists') will actually use. 

None of this is new to Gravesham. In fact, Gravesham has its very own Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan ('LCWIP') which is a long-term, evidence-based strategy created by the Council to plan, improve, and prioritise networks for walking, wheeling, and cycling. 

But does anyone else actually want to cycle?

The short answer is yes. Evidence from Cycling UK shows that there is a huge desire to be able to cycle more. The number one barrier people state to not doing? Not feeling safe on the roads. 

With the recent announcement of £4.5 billion to be invested in active travel over the next five years, there is a real opportunity to make a huge difference to Gravesham's cycling landscape. The reality is that for any of this to come to fruition, the council needs to see there is buy in from the community.

What needs to happen next

As a minimum we need:

• Priority routes connecting to NCN 1 and 177 require physical barriers or quiet neighborhood link routes.
• Council accountability: KCC and Gravesham Council must align future road improvements with national LTN 1/20 standards.

How you can help

We need your voice to show decision-makers that Gravesham wants safer streets.

• 💬 Join Safer Streets Gravesham: Get involved with our campaigns, follow us on social media and sign up to our mailing list for updates.
• 📧 Email your local councillors: Ask them what they are doing to implement Gravesham’s LCWIP. Highlight the issues specific to your area. If you need help, get in touch: saferstreetsgravesham@gmail.com. Copy us in!
• 🗣️ Spread the word: Share this post with friends and neighbours in Gravesham. 

Gravesham has the potential to be a beacon of active travel. We deserve streets where anyone, from eight to eighty, can travel safely. It is important to remember:

With your support and community action, we can make safer streets a reality.

*and for those in Istead Rise and Meopham...sadly the picture doesn't look any better:

The Guardian - Why bike lanes don't make traffic worse | It's Complicated

 

Campaign - Traffic Calming on Parrock Street and Echo Square

 

For a shareable version of the leaflet, please click here.

For an editable template email to send to your councillors, please click here

To let us know you have emailed the council, please click here

And to join our mailing list, please click here

Why this matters...

HAPPY BIKE WEEK! Cycling UK's Big Bike Revival

To celebrate Cycling UK's Bike Week 2026, Grant Strong of Cycle Maintenance UK has partnered with Kent County Council and Cycling UK for the Big Big Revivial:

"We are hosting over 50 events throughout the summer across Kent. These are called "fix events" and essentially are free check-overs and minor repairs/adjustments for the public.

It has seen tremendous success, with over 200 bikes put back on the road that would otherwise have sat gathering dust. This means those attending get a safe and working bike they can use, helping to reduce car journeys, free up the roads, promote better health, and many more benefits to both them and the community."

Anyone thinking of attending can pre-register or just turn up on the day: https://bbr.cyclinguk.org/events/dp/...

Oiutside of the Big Bike Revival Cycle Maintenance UK is a fully mobile cycle servicing service. It's designed to be efficient and convenient. So cyclists can book instantly online, and on the day, the workshop van visits your address and completes all repairs, servicing, etc., there and then.

SMALL WINS ARE STILL WINS: Dropped Kerbs on Singlewell Road

 

We are thrilled to share that following our group's advocacy efforts, two brand-new dropped kerbs have officially been installed along Singlewell Road.

This might seem like a small change, but it makes a massive world of difference for residents navigating our community with pushchairs, mobility scooters, wheelchairs, or visually impaired pedestrians. Everyone deserves a safe, accessible path to travel.

A huge thank you to everyone who raised their voices, shared their experiences, and supported this campaign. Change happens when we work together.

Is there a street or junction that needs attention? Get attention at saferstreetsgravesham@gmail.com and we can support you!

Let’s bring School Streets to Gravesham!

The school run accounts for 30 per cent of rush-hour traffic. So in effect, nearly one-third of the pollution children are exposed to on their way to and at school is caused by getting them there. 

It’s not surprising to hear that children are strongly affected by air pollution because their lungs are still developing, they breathe more deeply, and due to their size they are often closer to exhausts that emit pollution than adults. Air pollution can exacerbate and cause wheezing and asthma, cancer, and long-term exposure can result in worsening cases of lung or cardiac disease amongst many other illnesses

BUT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

School Streets is an initiative in which the roads around a school are simply closed during pick-up and drop-off times with exemptions for residents, teachers and others who need access.

To find out more, there is an upcoming webinar that will provide lots of useful information about School Streets, and how to implement them.

If you would like support in implementing one in Gravesham, get in touch and we will help!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mums-for-lungs-school-streets-webinar-tickets-1985993865112

Better Connected: a strategy for integrated transport

 

The government has recently announced their strategy for a more integrated transport system. As part of the strategy, they eight key priorities, including to:

Create healthier communities

Transport will help create healthier communities, where making healthy travel choices will be easy and convenient, supporting cleaner, quieter and more liveable places. To achieve this, we will improve walking, wheeling and cycling routes, improve integration between cycle and rail, and scale-up shared mobility. This is alongside delivering cleaner transport to improve air quality and reduce noise pollution, helping to reduce health inequalities.

We will strengthen statutory guidance for local transport authorities, making clear that pavements and cycle paths must be planned, maintained, and managed with the same priority as road infrastructure.

This is key, and will only be achieved with local communities holding the government (and local councils such as Kent County Council) to account. This will mean roads such as the A226 from Gravesend to Rochester are given the necessary funding to create safe, protected, and regularly maintained cycle paths to promote active travel and the benefits it brings.

The policy can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/.../better-connected-a-strategy-for...