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Cyclists account for up to 70 per cent of all traffic on Blackfriars Bridge following the introduction of a cycle superhighway, Transport for London has revealed.

The change of use was almost as dramatic on Victoria Embankment, part of the flagship East-West superhighway, with cyclists forming 52 per cent of traffic at the busiest times. A total of 4,695 cyclists used the North-South superhighway on Blackfriars Bridge in the three-hour morning peak — one rider almost every two seconds — while 3,608 used the Embankment route.

The figures emerge in a report detailing “significant increases” in cycling since the two routes were introduced by then mayor Boris Johnson shortly before he left office in May. TfL said the number of cyclists on the two routes was about 55 per cent higher than pre-construction, peaking at 70 per cent on the bridge at the busiest times.

Andrew Gilligan, the former cycling czar who championed the implementation of the superhighways, hailed the “truly extraordinary numbers”.

He said: “Rush-hour cycling use on the North-South superhighway is equivalent to the people carried by 64 full double-decker buses.”

The report also reveals for the first time why the completion of the East-West route around Buckingham Palace is a year behind schedule — because TfL has been attempting to save money after a massive overspend.

The largely segregated route between Paddington and Tower Hill is now estimated to cost £58.7 million — £18.4 million above the initial £40.3 million estimate — because construction was started before designs were completed in a desperate bid to finish the project during Mr Johnson’s mayoralty.

TfL said motorists going east along the Embankment and Lower and Upper Thames Street in the evening peak were suffering additional delays of “10-15 minutes” due to the removal of a lane to allow the superhighway to be built.

Earlier this week, the Standard revealed that completion of the western section of the East-West superhighway at Hyde Park had sparked complaints from residents in Lancaster Gate and Knightsbridge due to temporary roadworks and road closures. Cycling campaigners dismissed this as “short-term pain for long-term gain”.