Cycle Superhighway 2 on Mile End Road is just one section of the Mayor's flagship cycling project that needs urgent upgrade to make it safe and comfortable for cycling (photo: Ranty Highwayman)

In a worrying development, Transport for London has admitted that its cycling budget has insufficient money set aside to upgrade the Cycle Superhighways programme to "adequate" quality standards.

This is despite a commitment made by the Mayor - in response to LCC’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign - that the programme would be delivered to best international standards.

A little-noticed TfL report put before the London Assembly says:

“Recent revised costing of the Cycle Superhighway Programme has been undertaken following the completion of Cycle Superhighway 2 Extension. This indicates that the overall costs for the programme are likely to increase by up to £50m to ensure adequate service standards are provided on all routes.”

Equally worrying, the report goes on to cast doubt on the delivery of all cycling programmes as contained in the Mayor’s much-heralded (including by LCC) Vision for Cycling, saying there should be:

“...consideration of amending the number or length of CSH routes in the programme”

and

“consideration of reallocating monies from other areas of the cycling portfolio (either through cost reductions or through changes in scope), to ensure the overall costs of the portfolio do not increase."

The London Assembly passed an amendment to the Mayor’s budget last week to increase the cycling budget to cover the above shortfall.

But without Conservative Party support the amendment did not have the required two-thirds majority to change the budget.

The final budget debate takes place in the London Assembly on 14 February 2014.

LCC's Ashok Sinha said:

"We're calling on Assembly Members and the Mayor to make sure adequate funding is in place to achieve the promise the Mayor has made to Londoners to ensure the CSH programme is completed to the highest standards - without compromising the delivery of other promised cycling investment programmes - or else more Londoners will be at avoidable risk of serious injury or death in the future."