Boris backs Biking Boroughs for capital

12 Outer London boroughs have been selected as Biking Boroughs for the capital’s ‘Year of Cycling’.

London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) will work to encourage cycling in the 12 boroughs to help cyclists and would-be cyclists take advantage of the 2.4 million everyday ‘cycleable’ journeys in Outer London – most of which are currently made by car.

The boroughs – Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Croydon, Ealing, Haringey, Havering, Hilllingdon, Kingston, Merton and Redbridge – will receive extra support and expertise from TfL to boost bike numbers.

Each Biking Borough has applied for financial support from TfL to fund a local study to see how best cycling can be developed, potentially including measures such as working with schools, the NHS, Primary Care Trusts and local businesses to promote cycling, installing more secure cycle parking space or improving junction layouts to up safety for cyclists.

The Mayor of London’s Transport Advisor Kulveer Ranger said: “2010 is set to be the year of cycling in the Capital, with the launch of London’s Cycle Hire scheme and the first two Cycle Superhighways.

“However, it’s in Outer London that the greatest scope exists to increase the number of people traveling by bicycle.

“It’s staggering that half of all car trips in Outer London are less than two miles in length, a distance you can cover on a bike in around 10 minutes.

“The Biking Boroughs scheme aims to harness the huge appetite that already exists for cycling in Outer London, making it even easier to replace unnecessary short car trips with pedal power and delivering health benefits, better air quality and encouraging the use of local shops and town centres.”