Subject: An Open Letter from Safer Streets Gravesham
We are writing to you on behalf of Safer Streets Gravesham, a community group founded at the start of 2026 in response to deep and growing concerns among local residents regarding the dangers facing our most vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and those with limited mobility.
Residents across all age groups, from young children to the elderly, have shared how increasingly fearful they feel simply moving around the streets of the borough. Excessive vehicle speeds, both in residential areas as well as country lanes, leave many feeling unable to walk. Many residents have told us they feel too unsafe to cycle, and virtually all say they would not allow their children to cycle on our local roads.
Unfortunately their fears are borne out in the statistics. According to the most recent available data, a total of 285 pedestrians and cyclists were killed or seriously injured on Gravesham streets between 2021 and 2025.
Since its founding, Safer Streets Gravesham has actively campaigned for essential traffic-calming measures on key roads, including Singlewell Road, Windmill Street, and Parrock Street/Road - routes connecting wider residential areas to the town centre. Residents have written en masse to local councillors demanding urgent safety improvements. To date, no changes have been made.
This open letter is written in direct response to the crash in Sole Street on Sunday, 6th September, which tragically resulted in the deaths of two cyclists and left a third injured.
Sadly, whilst such a tragedy comes as a shock to us all, it should not come as a surprise. Practically every day, residents witness vehicles traveling at speeds that would result in serious harm or loss of life should a collision occur.
Although the full circumstances of Sunday's crash are still being investigated, the overarching reality remains unchanged: pedestrians and cyclists routinely fear for their lives on Gravesham’s roads. Recently, Safer Streets Gravesham published a blog post highlighting the severe lack of safe, connected cycling infrastructure across the borough and the explicit dangers this creates.
Our immediate priority as a community must be supporting those who are grieving and ensuring the affected families receive every possible care. Our deepest sympathies are with everyone impacted by this event.
It should never require a tragedy to compel action. We urge you: we cannot continue to expose our most vulnerable road users to predictable danger and remain shocked when the inevitable happens. Urgent, concrete measures must be taken to make Gravesham’s streets safe for everyone.
Respectfully,
Safer Streets Gravesham
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