Bikers of the Big Smoke, listen up. Following the completion of the capital’s most recent routes, Transport for London has revealed that the city’s cycle system has officially reached the 450km milestone. This ‘unprecedented’ growth means that the Cycleway network now stretches further than the distance between London and Paris.
Back in 2016, there was just 90km worth of Cycleways in the city. Since then, Transport for London has worked closely with the boroughs of London to create a labyrinth of lanes to cycle down, making it far safer and a whole lot easier to travel by bike in the capital city.
The Cycleway network carefully connects communities, transport hubs, schools, and workplaces across London whilst helping tackle the likes of air pollution, congestion, and the climate emergency. It also contributes to the improvement of the health and wellbeing of Londoners. With a whopping 1.5 million cycle journeys taken in London each and every day, the continued Cycleway expansion plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Londoners can whizz around safely and sustainably.
The latest additions to the network include new sections of Cycleway in Islington, Wandsworth, Camden, Westminster, and Kingston, plus the completion of Cycleway 62 across Lambeth Bridge.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m proud to have overseen a dramatic expansion of London’s cycle network, making it easier and safer for people across the capital to choose cycling for everyday journeys. I said I’d make London a byword for cycling – promise made, promise delivered.”
Helen Cansick, Head of Healthy Streets and Investment at TfL, said: “450km of cycleways is a significant milestone in our mission to create an integrated cycle network which connects people to the places they want to go. This milestone reflects the years of strong partnership with London’s boroughs to deliver safer and more accessible cycling infrastructure”.
“A high-quality cycle network benefits everyone, whether they choose to cycle themselves or not, by helping to reduce traffic, improve local environments and support healthier neighbourhoods. There is more to come and we will continue to expand the network and enable even more people to travel safely and sustainably.”
