London Continues on a Bicycle Road to the Future
by Matthew Taylor
The Guardian
February 9, 2008
London is likely to become one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world, with a series of two-wheeler superhighways cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Plans for the super-cycleways will be unveiled next week as part of an initiative to stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.
At a cost of £400m, the 12 routes are intended to be the motorways of cycling and are likely to be emulated by other cities across the UK. Londoners without bikes will be able to use one of the city's free bicycles.
"We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London," said the mayor, Ken Livingstone. "We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go."
The cycle scheme is one of several environmental announcements expected in the capital over the coming weeks, including a decision on plans for a £25-a-day congestion charge on the highest-polluting vehicles and a proposal to re-fit 900 civic buildings across the capital to make them more energy-efficient.
The superhighways will link popular residential areas such as Hackney, Clapham and Kilburn to the city centre. The routes are based on a 12-month study of the most popular roads already used by cyclists and will have continuous, wide cycle lanes, dedicated junctions and clear signs.
Planners hope the changes will encourage a "critical mass" of cyclists to use the routes, creating a safe and accessible environment as well as cutting congestion and pollution across London. "We are aiming to make cycling part of public transport and if we can get even 5% of people out of their cars, off the tubes and buses and on to bikes it will mean 1.7m cycle trips in London every day," said Mark Watts, transport adviser to the mayor.
In the city centre there will be a bike hire scheme based on a similar initiative in Paris which has helped transform cycling in the French capital. It is understood the hire bikes will be based at various stations in the centre of London and will be free to use for short journeys once people have signed up to the scheme .
The third plank of the proposals, which are expected to cost a total of around £400m over 10 years, will see special cycle networks set up around 15 suburban town centres such as Richmond or Croydon in an attempt to transform the way people make local journeys. The networks will link residential areas to schools, train and bus stations, parks and shops.
As part of the plans the mayor's office hopes to persuade local authorities in these areas to introduce 20mph speed limits and remove all road humps so motorists and cyclists are travelling at roughly the same speed.
Another proposal will see a riverside route from Rainham Marsh to the east of the city to the site of the 2012 Olympics in the Lee valley.
The London initiative is based on a successful scheme in Aylesbury, one of Cycling England's six demonstration towns where more people have taken to their bikes.
It is hoped the first of the cycleways and suburban networks will be complete by 2010, with another five ready for the start of the Olympics in 2012.
Last night the proposals were given a cautious welcome by motoring organisations. Edmund King, president of the AA, said: "The current system of haphazard provision for cyclists is not good for them or for other road users.
"I think separating out cyclists can only be good for everyone and the only provision I would raise is that we still need to have roads for the movement of trucks, cars and buses - so we need to make sure we get the balance right."
Geoff Dossetter, from the Freight Transport Association, also welcomed the scheme but he warned against giving too much space to cyclists.
He added: "The other concern we have had in the past is the behaviour of cyclists. If this is to go ahead I think part of it should be an education campaign for cyclists so that they obey the rules of the road." Cycling groups said the plans mark a watershed in the UK's attitude to cycling.
"This is about thinking what kind of city we want London to be and what we want it to look like," said Koy Thomson, from the London Cycling Campaign. "This proposals will transform London, making cycling more visible, and the really interesting thing is that cycling is now associated with a modern cosmopolitan city that is in control and at ease with itself."
The Guardian
February 9, 2008
London is likely to become one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world, with a series of two-wheeler superhighways cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Plans for the super-cycleways will be unveiled next week as part of an initiative to stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.
At a cost of £400m, the 12 routes are intended to be the motorways of cycling and are likely to be emulated by other cities across the UK. Londoners without bikes will be able to use one of the city's free bicycles.
"We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London," said the mayor, Ken Livingstone. "We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go."
The cycle scheme is one of several environmental announcements expected in the capital over the coming weeks, including a decision on plans for a £25-a-day congestion charge on the highest-polluting vehicles and a proposal to re-fit 900 civic buildings across the capital to make them more energy-efficient.
The superhighways will link popular residential areas such as Hackney, Clapham and Kilburn to the city centre. The routes are based on a 12-month study of the most popular roads already used by cyclists and will have continuous, wide cycle lanes, dedicated junctions and clear signs.
Planners hope the changes will encourage a "critical mass" of cyclists to use the routes, creating a safe and accessible environment as well as cutting congestion and pollution across London. "We are aiming to make cycling part of public transport and if we can get even 5% of people out of their cars, off the tubes and buses and on to bikes it will mean 1.7m cycle trips in London every day," said Mark Watts, transport adviser to the mayor.
In the city centre there will be a bike hire scheme based on a similar initiative in Paris which has helped transform cycling in the French capital. It is understood the hire bikes will be based at various stations in the centre of London and will be free to use for short journeys once people have signed up to the scheme .
The third plank of the proposals, which are expected to cost a total of around £400m over 10 years, will see special cycle networks set up around 15 suburban town centres such as Richmond or Croydon in an attempt to transform the way people make local journeys. The networks will link residential areas to schools, train and bus stations, parks and shops.
As part of the plans the mayor's office hopes to persuade local authorities in these areas to introduce 20mph speed limits and remove all road humps so motorists and cyclists are travelling at roughly the same speed.
Another proposal will see a riverside route from Rainham Marsh to the east of the city to the site of the 2012 Olympics in the Lee valley.
The London initiative is based on a successful scheme in Aylesbury, one of Cycling England's six demonstration towns where more people have taken to their bikes.
It is hoped the first of the cycleways and suburban networks will be complete by 2010, with another five ready for the start of the Olympics in 2012.
Last night the proposals were given a cautious welcome by motoring organisations. Edmund King, president of the AA, said: "The current system of haphazard provision for cyclists is not good for them or for other road users.
"I think separating out cyclists can only be good for everyone and the only provision I would raise is that we still need to have roads for the movement of trucks, cars and buses - so we need to make sure we get the balance right."
Geoff Dossetter, from the Freight Transport Association, also welcomed the scheme but he warned against giving too much space to cyclists.
He added: "The other concern we have had in the past is the behaviour of cyclists. If this is to go ahead I think part of it should be an education campaign for cyclists so that they obey the rules of the road." Cycling groups said the plans mark a watershed in the UK's attitude to cycling.
"This is about thinking what kind of city we want London to be and what we want it to look like," said Koy Thomson, from the London Cycling Campaign. "This proposals will transform London, making cycling more visible, and the really interesting thing is that cycling is now associated with a modern cosmopolitan city that is in control and at ease with itself."
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
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