More than £150m per year will be spent on cycling in the Capital over the next five years as Transport for London (TfL) looks to encourage a shift towards more healthy and active travel.
The funding comes as part of TfL’s draft Business Plan, which is being published later this week.
It has been welcomed by the London Cycling Campaign, who describes the investment as ‘unprecedented’.
The new £770m budget, which works out at an average of £154m per year, includes the completion of phase two of the North-South Cycle Superhighway from Farringdon to Kings Cross, which will begin construction next year.
It also includes the extension of the East-West Cycle Superhighway from Lancaster Gate and work to deliver Cycle Superhighway 11 from Swiss Cottage to the West End.
The plan also confirms funding for two new Cycle Superhighways. Consultations will begin next year on Cycle Superhighway 4 from Tower Bridge to Greenwich and Cycle Superhighway 9 from Olympia towards Hounslow, with each route also tackling a number of traffic-dominated junctions.
Working with London boroughs, at least 20 more Quietway routes will be planned or rolled-out – designed to make cycling safer and easier in different parts of London including Hammersmith, Finsbury Park, Croydon and Barking.
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, says work will continue to develop a strategic cycle network that identifies potential new Cycle Superhighways and Quietways, as well as new ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’.
The mayor also intends to appoint a new walking and cycling commissioner for London who will be an advocate for active travel in London – raising the profile of both cycling and walking, and working with TfL to make cycling safer and easier.
Sadiq Khan said: “TfL will be spending twice as much on cycling over the next five years compared to the previous mayor. Making cycling safe and easier can provide huge benefits for us all – improving our health, cleaning up our toxic air, and helping tackle congestion.
“By spending £770m over the course of the next TfL Business Plan, we’ll now be spending the same per head as Denmark and the Netherlands – places famous around the world for their cycling.”
Mike Brown, London’s transport commissioner, said: “Londoners are really embracing cycling and if we make it safer and easier even more people will choose to switch to a bike to get around the city. The benefits of this are huge, and our draft business plan sets out how over the next five years more will be invested in cycling than ever before.
“Working with London’s boroughs we will create more safe, easy and well-connected cycling routes and encourage the shift towards healthy and active travel that impacts less on the environment and makes London a more pleasant city to live in.”
Ashok Sinha, CEO of the London Cycling Campaign, said: “This unprecedented investment in cycling shows the Mayor is serious about meeting his promises to triple the extent of London’s protected cycle lanes, fix the most dangerous junctions and enable boroughs to implement major walking and cycling schemes.
“It will help make London a better, greener, healthier and less congested city.”
So by 2020 we are well on the way to spending some 2 billion alone on cyclists since 2009. All at a time of great austerity. It is as said unprecedented but beggers belief.
Bob Craven Lancs
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