Safe Speed Forums

Ken wants 100% cycling in London by 2025 So he made a big announcement last Monday that he was going to spend £500 m on 12 cycle super highways in the capital and a French style - "hire as you ride scheme"

He hopes to have the first route and hire scheme in place by 2009 and the rest by 2012.-2025

The hire scheme will require 6000 bikes with pick-up drop off spots everey 300 metres




The cycle routes are to be segregated completely and will run from the outkirts to the city centre and link with cross borough routes. In addition to this he plans to have Bike Zones which will be cycle priority streets and presumably link "slip roads" to these super-cycle-ways. These are the roads which will have 20 mph speed limits and all these routes are supposed to link the schools and other key local destinations.

Walking will also be encouraged so it looks like the cyclists will be sharing these "highways" with pedestrians But no worries.. Ken will have a "legible London signage systems" to help folk walk short distances instead of driving these short distances.


Ken admits he has a "problem with Barnet .. who are "anti-cycling cos they painted out all the cycle lanes in their borough

Ken claims 40% of all Londoners own a bike - but only one in 8 actually rides it regularly.

(Well .. when I was down there recently.. I saw thousands of bicycles.. )


Ken also plans to make proper parking facilities for bicycles so as to discourage chaining to railings.

Per CW's Keith Bingham ..

A moot point with the LCL who are not thrilled by his support for the law enabling councils to remove badly parked up bicycles

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Of course CW is not as impressed as it should be at the annnouncement of an extra £500m spend in addition to the pledged £62m on cycling in London.

A gimmick?



Then the CW reporter hears that the Highways Agency and DfT have not been informed or consulted about these "super cycle ways/ Bike Zones/parking facilities or even 20 mph blankets"


The sceptics do not actually want cash spent on these routes. They want it spent on road engineering..



A more pressing an urgent requirement actually.. to improve the hundreds of road junctions across the capital which are dangerous to all road users- but especially the cyclists.


Then Keith breaks down this impressve sum .. and it works out at £50m per annum over the 10 years in question for this project... and claims it's less than that spent on public transport..

Not "anti-cycling" but..

Er.. not everyone can actually (or even want to) ride a bicycle and public trasnport is essential. London's is better than most overall.. but still not that great when compared to systems in place abroad.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Communist China, a few years ago: millions with bicycles.
Communist China in a few years: millions in cars as their aspirations and wealth grow.

London, a few years ago: millions of cars displaying the economic wealth and power of the nation.
London, in a few years: millions on bicycles displaying the poverty of ambition of our "leaders".

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

sorry 100%

whats he going to do ban cars, and walking.... ?

Ed .. it sounds impressive enough.. but can he deliver?


Costs do escalate.. and would the cyclists who want to be "part of the traffic" use them if they are "segregated and shared with pedestrians?" :scratcchin:


When I think of visits to London.. I do wonder how he can do this.. short of completely rebuilding the capital and all its landmarks.

I think I agree with the CTC as I do on some occasions in that the cash would be better spent re-engineering the real danger areas to all road users. I do not at all agree with the CTC on many of their more militant aims .. but that's a bit like weepin' having some issues over safespeed really.. I suppose. I am a fair minded bloke ya know!

Note my words.. because no one sets out to have an accident.. incident.. collision and so who is to blame.. it's a shock and trauma to all involved.

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