London’s £400m cycling transformation

We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London. We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London’s history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go.
- Ken Livingston, Mayor of London

Ken Livingston has mapped out a plan that could transform London into a bike commuter’s paradise by 2010. The plan includes

12 bicycle ‘motorways’ that link popular residential areas to the city
A free bike hire scheme much like the one already kicking ass in Paris
A £25-a-day congestion charge on the highest-polluting vehicles
An over three-fold increase in the average number of daily cycling trips (from the current 0.5 million to 1.7 million)

I’ll believe this when I see it. Still, a similar scheme “successfully” executed in Aylesbury offers some hope. But I put that word in quotes because the model seems a little “hard going” according to The Guardian. Although the cycle routes themselves are great, they don’t really link up, so pedlars find themselves at the end of the route and have no idea where to go. Still, that’s what maps are for, eh?

Link to City’s two-wheel transformation in The Guardian
Link to Aylesbury’s cycleways leave room for improvement in The Guardian

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February 11th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

What a fantasic announcement. There really aren’t many more satisfying ways to keep fit (and save money), than cycling to work. Chuffed to hear that London is seriously going to start pushing it as a means of transportation.

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moggy

March 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 am

Great idea but will it really happen? And how do you cycle in all that fog ..not to mention rain!

monica

March 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm

moggy – I’ll believe the “transformation” when I see it. But it IS possible – there’s not as much fog as you’d think. I’ve cycled to work every day for the last year and a half (unless I’m going out for a pint after work!). Actually, a cool thing about London (er, a warm thing) is that it’s rarely cold enough to snow or ice, so it’s generally pretty safe to cycle. As for rain, it’s all about good waterproof outerwear.