London’s cycle network will quadruple from 90 kilometres in 2016 to 360 kilometres by the end of March after the recent completion of Cycleway 4.
Nearly a quarter of Londoners now live within 400 metres of a high-quality route.
With 20 cycle routes opened over the last year, more than 600,000 Londoners have been brought closer to the network.
The milestone comes after Transport for London (TfL) and Southwark Council recently completed work on the major cycle route between central London and Greenwich and now connects Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and Deptford.
“Cycleway 4 joins the list of high-quality cycle routes reaching from central into outer London enabling not just commuters to switch to cycling, but also kids to cycle to schools along the route, people to cycle to shops and stations, and Londoners to ditch cars to help deal with climate, pollution, inactivity and road danger,” London Cycling Campaign Head of Campaigns Simon Munk told Zag Daily.
“It’s vital that the Mayor, TfL and every single London borough continues to grow and connect the cycle network of high-quality routes so more and more Londoners can get from A to B to Z to anywhere cycling.”
Cycleway 4 includes 1.3 kilometres of protected two-way cycle lanes on Lower Road. The route also links to two other Cycleways and comes with six Santander bike stations.
“Improving our infrastructure and making cycling as accessible as possible for Londoners lies at the heart of the Mayor’s vision for a safer and greener London for everyone,” said London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman.
Previous additions to the network include Cycleway 9 between Hammersmith and Kew Bridge, Cycleway 24 between Tottenham Hale and Walthamstow, and Cycle 38 between Angel and Finsbury Park.
“This network reaches into areas of outer London already, but that network has to reach all Londoners and connect up residential areas, amenities and destinations to make cycling available to a far larger and wider range of Londoners,” said Munk.
The launch of Cycleway 4 comes shortly before TfL is set to add 1,400 new Santander e-bikes to the fleet this summer, and the £3 day pass which offers unlimited journeys of up to 30 minutes long also launched this week.
£19.5 million of investment has been announced for TfL to work with London’s boroughs over the next financial year to deliver more cycling schemes.
