London’s new flagship cycle superhighways are to go ahead with works to start after this year’s London Marathon. A majority of the TfL board supported the programme following a debate chaired by Mayor Boris Johnson.

LCC's CEO, Dr Ashok Sinha said: “We congratulate the Mayor and TfL for sticking to the promise he made to LCC’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign to replace blue paint with international standard cycle lanes. These new cycle superhighways will raise the bar for the safety levels expected of cycling infrastructure all over London.”

At the meeting of the Transport for London Board on Febraury 4th 2015, Johnson spoke strongly of the scheme being a benefit for the whole of London and he secured backing for the programme which is due to will start construction later this year.

Pressing board members to vote for the scheme Johnson told them it was a binary ‘do you want to do it or don’t you want to do it’ choice. He told them we couldn’t go on just painting the roads with blue paint. The scheme will proceed without a trial, as called for by some board members. TfL officers explaning that it was not possible to carry out a trial at junctions and, for the whole scheme to work, all the elements had to function together. Officers assured the board, however, that the programme would be continuously assessed and issues addressed

LCC thanks the thousands of supporters who wrote in to the TfL consultation to back the new superhighways and the 40,000 peopole who backed the Love London Go Dutch campaign to make London's roads as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland. Politicians, including Johnson, have repeatedly referred to the huge response to the consultation on the superhighways and TfL has said 84% of comments were in support of the scheme.