Cut speeds and extend London’s cycle hire scheme

Published: November 10, 2011

OVER the last 10 years London has made real advances in getting people out of their cars and into cycling.

Despite many more cyclists on the road there are clearly concerns about whether Transport for London is taking the increasing cycle safety needs seriously.

We were really pleased to see that Councillor Paul Braithwaite had brought a motion to Camden Council on tackling known dangerous hotspots and junctions. This is essential to reassure cyclists, in particular women, they are welcome on the roads.

We’d also like to see more initiatives that encourage cycling, including extending London’s cycle hire scheme into new areas.

The Twenty’s Plenty campaign to roll out more 20mph zones would do a great deal to make neighbourhoods nicer to live in as well as making a significant reduction in road deaths.

If we want more parents to feel confident to send their kids off to school by foot or bike, for example, we need to cut the speed of the traffic they are expected to negotiate.
Susan Poupard
Camden Friends of the Earth

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-11-11 14:20.

We need leadership from the Mayor

Since his election in 2008, the Mayor of London has done everything he could possibly do to promote motoring. His policy, called 'smoothing the traffic flow' requires a lot of traffic lanes to be dedicated to motorists. This physically prevents the development of quality walking and cycling infrastructure.

For those who think that cycle lanes would increase congestion, I would refer to the French, also seriously addicted to cars, but who invest a billion euro per year in tramways and dedicated busways. The result is positive: the less space you give to traffic, the less traffic you get!

Out of the few cycling initiatives from London City Hall, the superhighways are of poor quality and Cycle Hire is reseved to the central elite. Pedestrians are squeezed even further since the countdown junctions have increased green time for traffic.

My point is: urban space is rare, and we can't please everybody. Promoting traffic will bring more congestion and upset everybody. The Mayor has to make a choice and put the healthiest, cheapest, greenest modes of transport before the others in this struggle for space!

Alex