BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) hailed the new ‘Dutch-style’ extension of Cycle Superhighway 2 a major success.
A Virgin Media van might have picked the worst time to park on it (for which the brand has now apologised), but the new extension opened by London Mayor Boris Johnson runs from Bow to Stratford.
The press announcement included a North-South Superhighway protecting space for cycling from Elephant & Castle to Kings Cross, as well as a commitment to upgrade all existing Superhighways with better junctions, segregation or semi-segregation.
Significantly, Transport for London said it is recruiting 100 more designers, engineers and traffic modellers to deliver its expanding cycling programme.
All-in-all, not a bad week for the LCC, which has been campaigning for such measures (and more) most eye-catchingly with the ‘Go Dutch’ pressure campaign during the London Mayoral elections last year.
LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said: “The new cycle lanes opened today, and the commitments to major new projects and upgrades existing schemes, show that the political wins of our Love London, Go Dutch and Space for Cycling campaigns are now translating into substantial safety gains for Londoners.
"The announcements represent a major victory for our supporters, and we thank them all for their efforts, which are finally bearing fruit."
Sustrans’ London director German Dector-Vega added: "On the back of another cycling death on the streets of London, this significant investment aimed at improving safety is much needed in response to the grave concerns of cyclists and other road users.
"The 128 new posts in the cycling unit at TfL show that making it safe and convenient to travel by bike is becoming a real priority, as our leaders recognise the many economic, environmental and health benefits.
"But while the cycle superhighways are great for some confident cyclists, they’re not for everyone – we also need 20mph speed limits across London for those less confident on two wheels."
British Cycling’s campaigns manager, Martin Key, welcomed the changes too, adding it hopes local authorities will follow suit: “It is great to see the first of the Mayor’s ambitious plans for transforming cycling in the capital come to fruition. Other cities, including Bristol and Manchester, are also planning to introduce segregated cycle routes as part of their commitment to increase the number of journeys being made by bike. If we truly want to get Britain cycling, we need all cities and towns to take bold decisions on prioritising cycling as a key form of transport. Ultimately it will make cities and towns greener, healthier and more pleasant places to live.
“The government has committed to ‘cycle-proofing’ Britain’s roads – updating the design standards and regulations needed to ensure that cycling is designed into all new roads, junctions, and developments. Pioneering cities like London are the first to pilot these principles and we hope that all local authorities will follow suit. Cities such as New York and Seville have shown that building a network of segregated lanes leads to massive increases in cycling while also cutting congestion and collisions – now is the time for us to do the same."
