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Following the continued success of the traffic-free mass participation Skyride, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London have announced that they are planning two Outer London Skyrides this year.
The Skyrides, successors of the Freewheel traffic wheel rides, saw 65,000 cyclists ride across central London and 11,000 in Hounslow. The events took place across the country in Glasgow, Leicester and Manchester. You can read a report on the latter here.
The two planned Outer London Skyrides are set to support the Biking Borough initiative announced earlier this week.
in 2010, following the success of last year’s local Skyride in Hounslow which attracted 11,000 cyclists.
Ben Plowden, director of Integrated Programme Delivery at TfL, said: “There is enormous potential for the many millions of short trips made in outer London every day to be cycled, which is why we will be working with 12 lead boroughs to pave the way in encouraging a shift to two wheels.
“Cycling has the potential to become a mainstream mode of transport in Outer London, helping to reduce congestion and emissions, and create more active communities and safer streets.
“Fifty-eight per cent of Outer London residents say that they are considering cycling more over the coming year.
“The Biking Boroughs initiative aims to harness this enthusiasm by introducing simple, locally focused solutions that encourage residents to consider, for each journey, whether bike could be best.”
