Pollution Free Cities: London’s Cycle Superhighways

Thursday, October 14, 2010

London’s Cycle Superhighways

Barclays Cycle Superhighways: Frequently asked questions (22 page pdf, Transport for London, 2010)

Also discussed here: London’s Bicycle Superhighway Opens Today! (Inhabitat, July 19, 2010)

One key way of reducing vehicle emissions comes from shifting the choice for commuting from cars to bikes. This has been encouraged in cities such as Paris, New York, Montreal, Ottawa and other cities with making hundreds of bikes available through bike sharing programs with names such as Bixi, Velib etc as highlighted in Velib Public Bicycles in Paris (Pollution Free Cities, July 23, 2009)

However that often comes with a risk to cyclists’ safety, particularly in cities with heavy traffic, unless segregated bike lanes are in place along the preferred routes commuting and there are safe ways of crossing intersections as described in

Segregated Bike Lanes (Pollution Free Cities, Oct. 12, 2009)

Coming just before the Olympic Games in 2012, London England recently began to implement a “Cycle Superhighway” which addresses some of these concerns. The guide noted from London Transport describes most of the details.

Key Quotes:

“Barclays Cycle Superhighways will provide safe, fast direct and continuous routes into central London from the outer boroughs”

Objectives:

Improve cycling conditions for people who already commute by bike

Encourage those who don't to take to pedal power and keep fit

Help cut congestion

Relieve overcrowding on public transport

Reduce emissions”

“Painted a bold, bright blue, the cycle highways are 1.5 meters wide and they provide a safer space and more efficient routes for cyclists to travel.”

“London’s new bicycle superhighway network has 12 planned routes in all..The first route, labeled CS7, starts in Colliers Wood, a London suburb, and travels 8.5 miles to the city center along a busy commuter route, while the second one runs from Barking, in east London, to Tower Gateway.”

“TfL has a target of five percent of all trips in London to be undertaken by bicycle by 2025 which presents a 400 percent increase in cycling compared to figures in 2000”

“will be highly visible …cycle lanes will be at least 1.5 m wide and will continue through junctions. Advanced stop boxes will be provided at signals to help get ahead of the traffic”