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The Environmental Transport Association has slammed Olympic transport planners for "putting cyclist’s lives at risk", as well as imposing a £130 fine on two-wheelers straying into the fast track lanes.
Director at the ETA, Andrew Davis, said: “Transport planners have wrongly assumed that the best place for bicycles on busy roads is hugging the gutter, but experienced cyclists know that the safest place to overtake slow-moving traffic is down the outside – slap bang where the Games Lanes are.”
If caught, cyclists will be slapped with the hefty fine, or if unable/unwilling to foot the bill, have their bikes impounded.
The majority of ‘Games Lanes’ are positioned on the outside of traffic queues, yet ‘safety reasons’ are cited by TfL for why cyclists are not allowed in the lanes, undermining national standards advice on road cycling.
The advice runs at odds with TfL’s own Active Travel Plan, created to encourage more cycling and walking to and from venues.
Bus lanes are also set to be removed temporarily on roads hosting a Games Lane, further compromising cyclists’ safety.
“With no bus lane to use and the Games Lane a no-go area for bicycles, a busy stretch such as the Marylebone Road will see cyclists forced to jostle for space with cars and lorries,” added Davis
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