The flamboyant Mayor of London, who describes himself as a ‘passionate cyclist’, has laid out his vision for the future of London transport, with cycling firmly at its heart.
In a Transport London document entitled ‘The Mayor’s Vision for Cycling in London’, Mr Johnson’s ambitions centre on transformative change, where “Cycling will be treated not as niche, marginal, or an afterthought, but as what it is: an integral part of the transport network, with the capital spending, road space and traffic planners’ attention befitting that role.”
An investment of £913m over the next ten years would see what the document terms ‘meaningful’ improvements to cycling routes, junctions and infrastructure across both inner and outer London.
Linking the UK’s Olympic success in cycling to the news plans, Mr Johnson says he wants a ‘proper network’ of cycling routes to continue to encourage the UK’s interest in fitness as well as cleaner air in a more people-friendly London. He noted the increase in commuter cyclists in the City in recent years, but added that provision for cyclists would encourage people from all walks of life to take to the saddle. The Mayor explained “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.”
The key outcomes are listed as:
- A ‘Tube’ network for the bike; more ‘Dutch-style’ cycle routes, some segregated from general traffic, running parallel with the underground, rail and bus routes.
- Safer streets; increased spending on junction reviews and radical measures to improve the safety of cyclists around large vehicles.
- More people traveling by bike; cycling in London to double in next 10 years.
- Better places for everyone; transforming London into a place for people, with less traffic and more trees.
The commissioner for London Transport, Sir Peter Hendry, adds his commitment to the vision in a statement saying “Over the lifetime of this plan, we want to see cycling in London transformed, and we will do all we can to make it happen.” He expands on Johnson’s sentiments further by adding that these policies will not just end with routes and junctions and that “just as important is our range of other measures to make cycling safer”.
The March document sets out some further detail of the Mayor’s vision:
- A flagship route – running for at least 15 miles, from the western suburbs, through the heart of the Capital, to the City, Canary Wharf and Barking in the east.
- The investment would more than double London’s cycling budget – to a total of almost £400m over the next three years.
- In 2015, they will be spending £145m a year on cycling, or roughly £18 a head.
- Over the next 10 years, cycle spending will total £913m, more than treble the previously-planned levels.
We’ll bring you more news on how this vision translates into reality as and when updates are announced.
Editorial image of Boris Johnson courtesy of Annie Mole
