On Wednesday morning Transport for London’s programmes and investment committee will meet at the Palestra building on Blackfriars Road to consider, among other things, putting a further £211 million into its “healthy streets” programme in order to bring up to £737.8 million its estimated cost for the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25. The 21-page paper supporting this request is full of interesting arguments and figures about buses, bicycles and walking. They illustrate TfL’s approach to changing how London’s roads and streets are used, and also help to crystalise questions about the effectiveness of certain policies.
A section headed “looking to the future” sets out the case for “reducing car use and increasing travel by sustainable modes”. Paragraphs dedicated to cycling say that “nearly half of car journeys currently made by Londoners [are] cyclable in around ten minutes, rising to two-thirds under 20 minutes” and that because “concerns over road danger and fear of collisions remain the primary barrier to taking up cycling” it is “imperative that we continue to deliver a safe protected cycle network at pace”. The climate crisis, road congestion and poor air quality are listed as challenges London faces that more cycling would help the city address.
This is a further restatement of the case that has been made for redesigning roads to gave cyclists their own portion of road space since the launch of Boris Johnson’s Vision for Cycling almost ten years ago. Yet there are no figures or survey data in the healthy streets report for […]
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