An ambitious plan to propel cycling further into the mainstream in London was unveiled by officials, including a 15 mile “cycle superhighway.”
The plan is wide-ranging: including a proposal to make an additional 80,000 cycle parking spaces by 2016, through to working with the construction industry to lessen the risk from construction sites for cyclists.
The cycle superhighway, from west London to Barking in the east, will replace one lane of automobile traffic on the Westway road.
“The Westway, the ultimate symbol of how the urban motorway tore up our cities, will become the ultimate symbol of how we are claiming central London for the bike,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson in the report introduction.
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Principal to the plan is to encourage cycling as a pastime and commute option for everyone, according to Johnson, a self-described passionate cyclist.
“I want cycling to be normal, a part of everyday life. I want it to be something you feel comfortable doing in your ordinary clothes, something you hardly think about. I want more women cycling, more older people cycling, more black and minority ethnic Londoners cycling, more cyclists of all social backgrounds—without which truly mass participation can never come,” he said.
Johnson is more than doubling London’s cycling budget, to a total of almost £400m (US$602 million) over the next three years.
Boosting cycling helps people who cycle, yet also has an impact on other areas, such as less automobile traffic, “more seats on the Tube,” and more trees, according to Johnson. London is held in higher regard among transit advocates than New York, where some candidates for the November mayoral election have said they'll consider removing some of New York’s bike lanes.
Some highlights from Johnson’s plan:
- A new network of cycle routes in central London, including opening up some one-way streets for two-way cycling.
- Better Barclays Cycle Superhighways, which were put into place after the start of a bike share in London. This involves rerouting several existing and proposed superhighways and making some superhighways on streets without bus routes into “Dutch-style full segregation,” which are protected bike lanes physically separated from cars.
- New quietways, or bike lanes on back streets and other routes, which will stretch into the suburbs and be designed for new cyclists. Spending on cycling in the suburbs will increase from £3m to more than £100m (US$4.5 million to US$150 million)
- Branding the bike lanes similar to the subway system: more and clearer signs, grading routes, and a smartphone app for the bike lane network.
