Transport for London has announced that increased Cycleways are being implemented in five boroughs of the capital, with benefits for reduced traffic and improved health.
Overall, ten kilometres worth of Cycleway have been added in Lambeth, Islington, City of London, Ealing and Hounslow, as part of a mission to make it even easier to traverse the city by bike. With the Mayor of London aiming to ensure that 70% of residents live within 400 metres of a Cycleway, this project helps to achieve just that was 124,000 residents to see the benefits of this development.
The new routes are expected to open in the summer of this year:
- Three kilometres of route between Angel and Farringdon.
- A further three kilometres connecting Herne Hill with Clapham, via Brixton.
- A four kilometre route that connects Chiswick, Acton Central, and North Acton.
By the time the summer comes round, accelerations in the Cycleway programme will allow connectivity between town centres in Outer London (Lewisham, Wanstead, Edmonton Green, Brentford) with the network of Cycleways. This will allow thousands of people to access the city, improving opportunities for employment as well as increasing usage of active transport among traditionally underrepresented groups.
London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said:
“The vital action many London boroughs have taken in reducing traffic on residential roads and lowering speed limits has enabled us to deliver these three new Cycleways at pace, unlocking access to cycling for many thousands of residents.
“These routes, mainly on low traffic streets will not only connect communities but crucially improve access to cycling amongst traditional underrepresented groups. Cycleways play an important role in encouraging more Londoners to walk and cycle, contributing to a greener, fairer city for all Londoners.”
Councillor Rezina Chowdhury, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport at Islington Council, said:
“This speeded up programme of new Cycleways is very welcome news because it is will help people access cleaner, cheaper and healthier transport. This new route through Lambeth is possible due to the permanent Railton Low Traffic Neighbourhood and supports our concerted efforts to make our borough fairer and fit for the future. Our most disadvantaged communities suffer most from poor air quality and poor health outcomes.”
With air quality playing a crucial role in achieving environmental and health goals across all levels of government in the UK, you can read more about how important air quality is in an article from the last edition of the PSE Magazine HERE.
