Mayor unveils ‘revolutionary’ cycle routes

10 June 2009

The first two of London’s 12 planned cycle superhighways were unveiled last week as part of mayor Boris Johnson’s ‘cycling revolution’.

The two pilot routes, which will open in May 2010, are from South Wimbledon to Bank via the A24 and A3, and from Barking to Tower Hill via the A13 and Cable Street. The mayor and Transport for London (TfL) are consulting closely with the eight boroughs that the routes will run through.

The aim of the cycle superhighways is to provide safe, direct and continuous routes into central London from the outer boroughs. Another 10 routes spanning across London and greatly improving the capital’s cycling infrastructure are being developed ahead of 2012, with each route covering between 10 and 15km.

The mayor said: ‘No longer will pedal power have to dance and dodge around petrol power. On these routes the bicycle will dominate and that will be clear to all others using them.’

London Councils welcomed the announcement but called for reassurances from TfL that it would work with all the boroughs on developing each superhighway, and provide them with sufficient funding.

The chairman of London Councils’ transport and environment committee, Cllr Mike Fisher, said: ‘In implementing these routes, TfL must listen carefully to the views of boroughs which are responsible for 95% of London’s road network and have many years of expertise in delivering cycling initiatives.

‘TfL should also be aware that cycle superhighways are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but part of a package of measures to support cycling.’

The two pilot routes will link residential areas including Tooting, Clapham, Poplar and Canning Town to central London and will run on a combination of the TfL road network (TLRN) and roads owned and managed by the London boroughs.

Each route will be given its own identity with consistent and easy-to-follow road markings and signs. Safety issues will be addressed through specific measures such as the provision of advance stop boxes and continuous lanes through junctions, as appropriate.

In addition, obstructions will be minimised and improvements made to road surfaces to ensure a smoother ride.

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