London mayor unfazed by variety of taunts as he launches London’s first cycle lane that is segregated from car traffic

Boris Johnson has shrugged off abuse from passing commuters as he opened London’s first segregated cycle superhighway.

Speaking at Vauxhall Bridge on Thursday, the London mayor laughed off three separate verbal attacks from cyclists using the new highway, before admitting there is still a lot of work to do on making London’s transport system better for cyclists.

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One cyclist was pictured making a hand gesture at Johnson while riding past him on the superhighway, which stretches across Vauxhall Bridge from Oval to Pimlico.

Johnson said it was fantastic to see the cycle way get so much use, and said the overall reaction had been very positive.

“The people I met on the cycleway seemed to love it,” he said. “This is probably, in a hotly contested field, one of the most difficult things we have had to do. It has caused an awful lot of aggro, particularly with senior colleagues in parliament who like to travel around in cars.”

At its busiest peak, more than 750 cyclists are using the dedicated lane, which opened three weeks ago.

“We are moving as fast as we can to get it all done,” Johnson said. “It looks beautiful and … will be a wonderful thing for London, and this is just the beginning of a massive programme.”

He said he hoped his successor would keep the campaign going. “It is very, very important that the momentum does not stall and there is a large number of cycle superhighways still in the pipeline. There is a lot of work still to do but this is an example of the kind of transformation that can take place.

“It is vital if we are going to get people out of their cars, ease congestion and encourage fitness, walking and cycling – the things that we really need to get going.”