The success of London boroughs in reducing traffic and speed limits on residential streets has enabled the delivery of 10 new cycleways, which are in addition to the three cycleways launched earlier this year

Transport for London (TfL) has launched 10 new low traffic cycleways across the capital, the most TfL have ever opened at one time, making it safer and easier for people to travel around London by bike. The new routes are the latest additions to a series that mainly use new low traffic local streets with three cycleways also launched earlier this year in March. These have been delivered rapidly alongside TfL and boroughs’ existing programme to build new walking and cycling infrastructure.

This work connects even more of London’s communities by bike , ensuring more than 550,000 Londoners are within 400m of a high-quality cycle route and contributing to the Mayor’s target of 40 per cent of Londoners living within 400m of a high quality cycle network by 2030. Delivering high-quality new cycleways will enable Londoners of all backgrounds and abilities to cycle safely, encouraging greater diversity in cycling.

The accelerated programme of cycleways is helping to connect outer London town centres such as Walthamstow, Ilford, Barking and Barnes to London’s growing cycleway network, unlocking cycling for thousands of new residents and improving access to walking and cycling amongst traditionally underrepresented groups. The new routes include a 10km route in Enfield , which forms part of London’s longest, continuous cycleway. This is more than 25km long, and connects town centres in Enfield, Haringey and Hackney. Cycleways play a vital role in helping people to cycle accessing jobs, schools and hospitality in a healthy and sustainable way.

The new routes are:

• Cycleway 1 – Freezy Water to Tottenham, connecting to Cycleway 21 and the wider Enfield cycle network
• Cycleway 16 – Wanstead Flats to The Olympic Park, connecting into Waltham Forest’s expanding cycleway routes
• Cycleway 24 – Walthamstow Wetlands to Wood Street – and will connect to the proposed Cycleway 26, which will connect towards Stratford and the Olympic Park
• Cycleway 34 – Hammersmith to Fulham, connecting to Cycleway 9
• Cycleway 38 – Finsbury Park to Angel, this route will connect to Cycleway 50, which is currently under construction in Islington
• Cycleway 42 – Ilford to Barking Riverside, connecting more than 60,000 residents to high quality cycling infrastructure and connecting Barking stations
• Cycleway 57 – Hammersmith Bridge to Barnes, connecting to Cycleway 9
• Cycleway 10 – Embankment to Euston, connecting to Cycleway 3 and the wider Central London cycle network
• Cycleway – Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, connecting to Cycleway 5
• Cycleway – Kentish Town to Gospel Oak, connecting into the wider Camden cycle network

The cycleways are mainly on quieter roads and data shows that they have already seen a significant boost in cycling, with Tolpuddle street in Islington seeing a 96 per cent rise in cyclists on Cycleway 38 in just one year from September 2020.

TfL and boroughs continue to make progress on the wider cycling investment programme to deliver high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure across the capital, including protected cycle tracks on main roads. At Old Street, protected cycle lanes around the former roundabout are now complete, enabling people to travel through this busy junction safely and confidently. Work continues to complete the refurbishment of St Agnes Well retail concourse and the new public space on Old Street and is on track to be completed by the end of the year.

TfL has also decided to retain the changes made at Park Lane permanently. The scheme saw the introduction of a new bi-directional, segregated cycle lane and bus lane on the north side of Park Lane. Monitoring data shows that it has been well-used, with thousands of people using the Park Lane cycle lane since it was first introduced. People cycling through this busy area of central London will continue to benefit from high-quality infrastructure which separates them from motor traffic and means that cyclists who are travelling through the area avoid using the shared cycle and pedestrian path on Broad Walk, leaving more space for people walking or cycling through Hyde Park.

Other busy locations are being improved for cycling and walking, with good progress being made on Cycleway 50 in Finsbury Park, Cycleway 23 at Lea Bridge and on the final section of Cycleway 4 on Lower Road in Southwark. When complete, the final section of C4 will enable people to cycle between central London and Charlton on an almost entirely segregated route. Construction work on the route is due to be completed in the autumn.

TfL and London boroughs have more than tripled the size of the London-wide strategic cycle network, from 90 km in 2016 to more than 340km in 2023, meaning that more than one in five Londoners now live near the Cycleway network.

Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “We’ve seen a huge rise in walking and cycling over the past few years as more Londoners enjoy using sustainable ways to get around the capital and we’re continually improving our infrastructure and making roads safer to grow our network of cyclists even more. These 10 new cycleways link up low traffic areas and connect local communities, making cycling accessible to even more Londoners and support our aim to build a greener, safer London for everyone.”

Helen Cansick, TfL’s Head of Healthy Streets Investment, said: “Our continued work in expanding the Cycleway routes on a range of different types of roads unlocks access to cycling for many more thousands of Londoners, contributing to a greener and fairer city.  Everyone in London deserves safe and sustainable routes, regardless of where they live and thanks to the efforts of many London boroughs in reducing traffic on residential roads and lowering speed limits, we have been able to deliver a further ten new Cycleways at speed alongside our wider programme of cycling investment. We’ll continue to work closely with boroughs to connect even more of the capital to our high-quality cycle network.”

Councillor Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport, said: “In Islington, we’re determined to create a more environmentally-friendly future, where local people can harness the environmental, physical, mental, and financial benefits of walking, cycling, and wheeling. As part of this we’re committed to working with TfL, and we’re delighted to have supported them with the delivery of Cycleway 38, which is already delivering huge benefits to local people.  Between August 2020 and September 2021, for example, we saw a 33 per cent increase in people cycling on sites along the route.

“We look forward to continuing to work with TfL to improve cycle infrastructure in Islington, as we strive to create a greener, healthier, more sustainable future for all.”  

TfL’s updated Cycling Action Plan will play a vital role in making cycling a fundamental part of a greener, more progressive, modern city where everyone who wants to cycle can do so. The plan outlines why it is essential to broaden the appeal of cycling to a more diverse range of Londoners to ensure cycling levels continue to increase at pace and that all Londoners benefit from the health and economic benefits of cycling. TfL’s research shows that people from under-represented groups are open to taking up cycling. The plan outlines ambitious evidence-led measures to support these groups by addressing the barriers they face.

• TfL’s funding agreement with Government secured £80m per year to be invested in walking and cycling schemes, with a further £69m per year allocated to boroughs
• TfL recently launched local engagement on plans to introduce 28km of new 20mph speed limit on its roads within the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Hackney, Haringey and Tower Hamlets
• TfL has so far reduced danger at 44 junctions across London as part of its Safer Junctions programme, with work on at a further two locations set to start this year. All locations in the Safer Junctions programme had higher-than-average collision rates and this improvement work is a vital part of TfL’s Vision Zero ambition
• Park Lane cycle count data can be found here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/park-lane
• Key findings in the Cycleway 38 South Trial pre-consultation monitoring report showed that Cycling increased by 96 per cent on Tolpuddle Street in Islington