Yesterday ambitious plans were announced for an 18-mile cycle superhighway in London, UK. Described by the Greater London Authority as “Europe’s longest substantially-segregated urban cycleways”, the routes for the first time will provide Londoners with safe routes across the city where they can cycle without having to share the road with cars, buses and lorries.

The city has been trying to get more people on their bikes for some years, but many residents have been reluctant due to the dangers associated with cycling on busy roads. A recent spate of cycling-related deaths resulted in a fifth of cycling commuters switching to other transport methods, so the need for segregated routes has been clear for some time.

“Continuous segregated routes have proved hugely successful in Holland and are an affordable transport solution for cities,” said British Cycling campaigns manager Martin Key.

“This cycle way will attract new people to cycling – young and old – because they will feel safer and more confident using a convenient route. London is leading the way on cycling and the rest of UK must follow.”

With ever-increasing pressure being put on London’s public transport system, it is hoped that the new cycle routes will reduce the number of people travelling by tube, bus and rail.

“Bikes already make up 24 per cent of all rush-hour traffic in central London – hundreds of thousands of journeys every day that would otherwise be made by car or public transport,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson.

“Because this isn’t just about cyclists. Getting more people on to their bikes will reduce pressure on the road, bus and rail networks, cut pollution, and improve life for everyone, whether or not they cycle themselves.”

The new cycle network will consist of two routes – one running north to south from King’s Cross to Elephant and Castle and one cross east to west from Barking to Acton. Together the routes cover a significant section of the city, making the cycle highway an ideal route for commuting and tourism alike.

The city is keen to get feedback from residents about the proposals before the plans are put into action.

“We are fully supportive of the Mayor’s vision to make cycling safer and easier in the capital and have worked closely with TfL on these proposals,” said London councillor Heather Acton. “However, the exact details of the routes are yet to be decided and we would encourage all residents and road users to give their views in response to this consultation.”

London will also see the installation of advanced traffic management schemes to help reduce the impact on other road users as the new routes will be created on existing road lanes in the city.

Images courtesy of Greater London Authority.