“No Barclays Cycle Superhighways will be launched in 2012/2013 due to a reduced construction delivery window necessitated by the 2012 Games”

This was the answer given by the Mayor when asked about the progress of the Cycle Superhighways.

The good news is that the Cycle Hire scheme will continue to expand. This news comes despite the revelation that total income by March 2012 is now expected to be £7m as opposed to the original estimate of £18m. The difference is attributed to the delayed launch of the 400 sites as well as the delay of the launch to casual users. Although TfL says this figure is likely to change again depending on the roll out of phase 2.

As part of phase 2 rollout, the cycle hire scheme will be heading towards Tower Hamlets, Westfield White City and Camden Town.

Phase 3 of the scheme will be rolled out in summer 2013. This will head towards the West and South West of the current area. Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham have already started to identify suitable cycle hire locations and are calling on local residents to send in their suggestions.

In other news from Mayors questions:

• Total complaints about the cycle hire scheme have fallen by 1/3 in the past six months since May 2011. From 1,647 (0.23% of total hire) to 1,100 (0.16% of total hire)
• We don’t yet know if the Trixi mirrors (blind spot mirrors) is statistically successful but TfL has had approval to install them on all future superhighways from the DfT.

By Summer 2011 two new Cycle Superhighways will be crossing through London. I wanted to see how they were coming along so I posed the question on Twitter..

• @suspectpackage cs8, painted the road blue a bit, wouldn’t call it progress though, just back from Holland http://yfrog.com/h87rnvrsj
• @ianbar33 CS8 getting on but surface not good between Vaux Bridge and Chelsea Bridge as I now have the blue over my frame and top!! Not happy
• @angus_fx there’s been blue paint on Battersea High St for a couple of months now. Don’t know if that counts as "progress" )
• @rokav enjoyed a cycle along a largely-complete section of CS8 on Grosvenor Road on Sunday

Armed with the knowledge there would at least be a few strips of blue paint to checkout (so exciting!) I went along with my camera to investigate.

“Oh no, we’ve run out of blue paint. Where’s the nearest B&Q?”

The above picture shows the previously dilapidated green cycle route. The new blue route is now located on the road. Not really an improvement. If anything a beginner cyclist, which is exactly who we need to encourage, would probably feel much safer on the previous route. Hopefully, if the planners have any sense, which we know they rarely do when it comes to cycling provision, they will build a barrier to keep cars out of the cycle lane.

This picture above is far more encouraging. A nice big wide blue lane that has plenty of room for cyclists to overtake. Full points for this part of Cycle Superhighway 8 go to TfL!

Unfortunately, the final picture was less encouraging. When I was asked what I thought about the motorbikes in the bus lanes trial I would of given a more favourable answer if motorbikes hadn’t translated the trial as permission to ride in all cycle lanes too.

I recognise it’s a little harsh to critique Cycle Superhighway 8 even before it’s finished so I’ll be revisiting when it is officially finished.

Note: Nicole is meant to be posting on Tuesday but she’s very busy at the moment with work so you are stuck with me!

See also:

• Is there anything super about the cycle superhighways?
• Two very different visions of the cycle superhighways
• Cycle superhighways latest let-down

Boris Johnson was on top form as he arrived by bike looking tired and tieless. He told us that along his 35 minute journey from Islington to Clapham Common it was him versus a boy racer and he only narrowly won thanks to the superhighways. An entertaining story although a quick check on the map confirms the majority of the route is not covered by a superhighway.

Speeches were given and many laughs were received from the gathered members of the press. Boris went on to explain that the blue of the superhighways was meant to represent freedom and be an international sign of how serious London is about cycling. He finished his speech by stressing the importance of London competing against other cities in order to receive investment. By growing cycling he hopes to prove that London has what it takes.

We were also given some figures about the superhighways. The money will fund 5,000 new parking spaces for bikes, over 17,000 hours of cycle training and 3,000 hours of cycle maintenance classes. Boris also told us that any rumours that the cycle superhighways would be less than 1.5 metres in length at certain points were not true.

Everyone seemed rather wooed by the speeches and was happy to walk away thinking how good us cyclists have it. This is highly arguable but you can’t help but agree that the visible nature of the superhighways is a positive thing.

When the opportunity came along to grab some questions with Boris I knew he was not really going to answer anything. However, it was worth trying anyway. I wanted to find out about his vision for the cycle superhighways compared to the reality. What I really wanted to know is how someone can look at the superhighways and think to themselves “yes, this truly is a superhighway, this will be great for new cyclists”. Boris simply said that of course his initial vision would not be possible due to the big range of stakeholders. However, he would like to see the blue tarmac all throughout London.

I also asked about the reductions in cycle lanes along certain points. He told me that of course there would be some problems at the start. What about the policing of the cycle superhighways? A lot of people on Twitter wanted to know what would be done to keep vehicles out of the lanes. He quoted the TfL research that suggests the visual nature of the lanes will be enough to help drivers recognise the sheer volume of cyclists passing through and thus they will stay out of the lane.

Our interview was cut short by a cyclist riding on the pavement. Boris approached him and shouted “why did we build the superhighways if you’re not going to use them?” I’m sure we could give him a number of reasons.

There are many questions still to ask – the congestion zone extension scrap, how fast the cycle hire scheme will be rolled out to wider London, prohibition of trucks at peak times and why London doesn’t have more bike boulevards.

They will have to wait for another time. However, there was one final question I wanted to ask. I managed to grab Kulveen Ranger, the Mayors Transport Advisor, who is pro-cycling. I asked him if he’d heard of the idea before of privatising car parking in-order to capture the true cost of parking. It was an interesting idea I’ve not heard before suggested to me by Paul Battley. It caught Kulveen unaware and he wasn’t able to answer. This is definitely an idea worth exploring more and I’ll see if I can chase him up on it.

Whilst I didn’t get to ask Boris all the questions I wanted, especially “who does your hair?”, it was an interesting launch and its good to see the first stage of one of the big cycling projects finally delivered. Now on to the Cycle Hire Scheme.

Thanks to my fellow cycling blogger Rob Ainsley for the picture. Also make sure you read his take on the launch.

See also:

• Cycle hire application for your iPhone
• Are people for or against the cycle hire scheme?
• Is there anything super about the cycle superhighways?
• Two visions for the cycle superhighways

My test ride with TfL would finally put to rest which of the two visions would become a daily reality for 1000s of London Cyclists. Would it truly be continuous lanes that provide a safe and direct route into the capital. Or would it be more of a marketing gimmick, a glorified cycle lane that is a missed opportunity for real progress.

The first two of the cycle superhighways are on track for their completion date of the 19th of July. After this we will see an incremental increase in cycle lanes with two more superhighways being added every year. These two cycle superhighway routes are pilot routes and while a lot of criticism has been coming in it’s important to note that up until the 19th of July they are still not officially finished. In fact the final thing we will see is the signage being added and the last road markings going in on busy junctions.

Smurf lanes

The main criticism of the cycle superhighways is also the most obvious: “It’s just a lick of blue paint”. This is justified as large parts of the first two routes already existed as the more traditional green cycle lanes. However, TfL were keen to stress that a lot has gone into it that we don’t see. For example, the road surface has been re-done in many areas that were suffering from potholes. There’s also been a lot of behind the scenes engineering work, planning and testing. The blue paint has been running through light box tests where they run a tyre over it many times to test it doesn’t fade. A couple of previous revisions of the paint used have been scrapped as they were found to fade far too easily.

There are three types of road surface in use for the superhighways. The surface you will see near the junctions is high-friction to prevent accidents. I raised the reports that have been coming in of slippery road surfaces. TfL told me that they’ve run extensive tests and not found the paint used to be slippery.

Talking to Nigel Hardy I was also very keen to raise the point of “why the blue?” and “why call it a superhighway?”

Branding was the short answer. Perhaps fears of a “marketing gimmick” were coming true. The hope with the branding is to make drivers aware that high volumes of cyclists will be travelling along this route. It also makes it easier for cyclists to follow the route and know where it is leading them.

Why not segregate?

Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rio De Janeiro, Barcelona. All places I’ve seen segregated cycling infrastructure work well. It’s one of the main things cyclists request to feel safer. A small barrier between drivers and cyclists would surely make this more of a cycle “super” highway.

Segregation however, is not something that is being considered for the cycle superhighways. TfL said the routes are simply not being used frequently enough to warrant separation of traffic. It is only during peak hours that you will see many cyclists in the lanes. TfL claim that segregating the lanes would create many problems for loading vehicles. They also claim that cyclists don’t want to be treated differently to other vehicles.

TfL are more keen to address the problem of motorists in cycle lanes through police enforcement, branding and working with companies to ensure their drivers are not blocking the lanes during peak hours. The experience of cyclists will tell if this approach will have the desired effect.

Direct and continuous cycle superhighways

Cyclists have also been raising concern about how continuous the cycle lanes are. Around 80% of the route is covered by the blue lanes. The other 20% involves blue boxes with CS markings in them and crossings at junctions. The break in the continuity is meant to inform cyclists that they need to pay extra attention. It is used when a continues blue lane was deemed inappropriate.

A super experience

Riding the superhighway side-by-side with Nigel Hardy, which is barely possible along much of the route as the lanes are often just 1.5 metres wide, I wondered what he thought beginner cyclists would think of the experience.

As we stood at the final junction of our tour with Nigel pointing in various directions and explaining to me what cyclists need to do to pass this complicated junction I thought it was the right time to ask the question.

His response is perhaps the ultimate conclusion to the cycle superhighways. Without training he wouldn’t expect them to feel very happy riding along this busy A-road even with the superhighways in place.

A cycle superhighway should surely be designed to give beginners that confidence they need to tackle London’s roads. It should be a pleasure to ride along without any fear. This was my experience of the equivalent of superhighways in other countries and unfortunately it was not the same in London.

In the end the superhighways are a compromise. On one side you have organisations such as the LCC and bicycle activists calling for more to be done. On the other you have motorists. TfL and the Mayor have to try to decide how the two sides can work together. There has been a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to complete the first two routes. Whilst it remains hard to discover the “super” in the cycle superhighways they are a positive step forward in the vision to make London a cyclist friendly city.

See also:

• Two visions for the cycle superhighways
• What cyclists think of the cycle superhighways
• Barclays Cycle Hire
• What the 12 cycle superhighways will mean for London Cyclists

Vincent was kind enough to send me some pictures of the Cycle Superhighways along Narrow Street leading to Canary Wharf. This route has long been one I believe TfL need to really focus on. This is due to the lack of good cycling routes leading to Canary Wharf where so many people work.

The first two routes were due for completion in May 2010. We are now in June and 31 days from now, on the 19th of July, the two superhighways will officially be open.

Of course the criticism has been pouring in with plenty of videos appearing on YouTube such as this one:

My main concern with the superhighways is how much they will actually improve safety and provide a more enjoyable ride. If London cyclists are still having to go around drivers in the cycle lane then not a lot has changed.

I’m also concerned that the superhighways will signal to people that cyclists require a special lane in order to be safe. I strongly believe this is not the case. If you take cycle training then you learn that using a narrow cycle lane is more dangerous than staying in the middle of the road. Research into cycle lanes suggests that only very wide cycle lanes provide extra safety for the rider.

I’m due to ride one of the superhighways with TfL on July 1st. I definitely want to forward any of your concerns to them so please do let me know your thoughts.

Have you tried one of the cycle superhighways? If so, what did you think?

See also:

• Two visions for London’s cycle superhighways
• What the 12 cycle superhighways will mean for London Cyclists
• Cycle Superhighways latest letdown
• Barclays cycle hire

Other “Comment Fridays”:

• What do you wear to cycle into work?
• What’s in your bag?

By the way the first vision isn’t just me letting my imagination run wild it is what the cycle superhighways are going to be like in Copenhagen. Thanks to Rob from RealCycling for the picture of the cycle superhighway.

In my opinion I think the superhighways are much more likely to resemble the second vision however I hope to stand corrected.

See also:

• Recommend a cycling route for others
• What is your uphill cycling strategy?
• What the 12 cycle superhighways will mean for London Cyclists

Twelve routes from outer London into the centre will be developed, with the first two in place by next summer.

They will be wide lanes painted blue on major roads, and at least 1.5m wide.

One point five metres wide? There’s nothing remotely super about that. As has been well-established, cycle lanes narrower than two metres increase a cyclist’s exposure to risk and would be better off not existing.

And this is very revealing, from the Mayor’s latest Greater London Assembly question time:

Question No: 2713 / 2009
Valerie Shawcross
Will road space be allocated to the cyclist from motorised traffic on your planned cycling Superhighways?

Answer from the Mayor:
Cycle Superhighways will be designed to minimise impacts on other road users, while ensuring the provision of safe and continuous routes for cyclists. The aim of the scheme is to increase the number of cyclists on London’s roads without adversely affecting traffic flows or traffic and bus journey times.

In other words, no.

Which is very interesting, as the London Borough of Waltham Forest is currently proposing a massive re-allocation of footway and carriageway space from the pedestrian and cyclist to the motorist, by way of creating hundreds of new on-street parking bays.

In short, car dependency and fossil fuel addiction continues to be fed and pampered at every level. London hasn’t even begun the process of moving towards the Copenhagen/Netherlands model and shows no sign of ever doing so. Instead all we get is spin, gimmickry and transport planning which continues to prioritise private car ownership and use over walking and cycling.

At the same time as I came this post I also found this video of cycle lanes in New York

To answer that question we can look at the Mayors track record as well as his proposals in the new draft document that is now open for public consultation.

You may well remember that the Transport Plan is not an alteration of the existing plans put in place by the previous mayor but instead a complete overhaul.

Congestion charging increases one of many potential solutions

The one part of this plan that all the newspapers are likely to cover is the potential congestion charging increases. This will help improve funding for TfL which has a major cash shortfall due to taking over the running of the failed tube maintenance company. Additionally it will discourage motorists from using crowded roads freeing them up for cyclists and buses. Of course ancient motoring organisations such as the RAC Foundation will strongly oppose them and motorist voters goaded on by the newspapers may well choose to take their vote elsewhere. Of course it is important to stress this is only one of many potential solutions.

Changes for cyclists in Transport Plan

The target is set in the plan to raise the current level of 2% of journeys taken by bike to 5% by 2026. Obviously this is far from 20% by 2020 which is what some have hoped and is nowhere near to Netherlands levels where 27% of journeys are made by bike.

The so called “revolution” includes the London Cycle Hire Scheme with 6000 rentable bikes and the Cycle Superhighways. Revolution is definitely not a label I would apply to the Cycle Superhighways. In fact it appears that the plans for far short of anything the LCC would like to see and of the equivalent plans in Copenhagen. Though there is some hint to cycle servicing facilities and additional cycle parking as part of the Superhighways scheme.

In terms of facility improvements there also appears to be plans to increase the amount of cycle parking available by 66,000 in addition to the existing parking facilities. There is also plans to encourage through planning permission a prevalence of cycling facilities such as parking, lockers and showers. This will not stop at new development but also at existing sites such as shopping centres to attempt to “normalise” cycling by knowing facilities will be available. If carried forward vigorously this would be a very positive change.

There is also discussion of growing cycling by changing attitudes and educating users about cycling. Though this is likely to be largely a continuation of existing programs. The term “mainstream” cycling is used in the report and recommends promoting cycling not as a “sporty” thing that requires special equipment but instead as something anyone can do. I am glad that they recognised this fact.

There is also some hint of tackling cycle safety though specific details of how are lacking. The report states that cycle safety will be addressed through:

“delivering road enhancements to make cycling safer and easier, including managing car access to residential areas, through physical or design measures, to create pleasant and safer cycling environments”

That would suggest more car free routes for cyclists. Though it is a shame there is no talk of creating cycle paths that are separated from the main road through barriers. For example I would one day like to be able to cycle across London Bridge with a barrier separating myself from the main traffic as has been so successful elsewhere.

Further in the document there is some discussion of the problems with Heavy Goods Vehicles and cyclist deaths. The Mayor appears to have recognised how much of a deterrent to cycling this can be and has offered some limited solutions. These include adding additional mirrors to HGV’s and electronic warning devices to detect cyclists. Additionally to further training for cyclists and drivers to encourage more road safety.

Finally increasing 20mph zones are discussed and even implementing technology that can automatically limit the speed of cars.

Overall these are positive steps but it is clear that they are aimed at getting a usage level of around 5% and not the full push to 20% which would actually be revolutionary. I think the Mayor should trust far more in the benefits of cycling and really put it as a number one priority, taking much larger strides forward.

Public Transport Improvements

In terms of public transport the plan promises oyster card use on National Rail stations. Something that should have already be done by now as promised by Boris. Also it gives the go ahead with the removal of bendy buses though details on costs of doing this are not present.

It also proposes various extensions to the tube lines and improvements to London Overground and overland Rail Network. However for further discussion on this you are better off looking at the excellent London Reconnections blog as I would prefer to focus on the cycling elements.

I want to live in “The best big city on earth”

Bold changes are needed to create “the best big city on earth”. If plans are successful then a better quality of life may be the result. Transport wise this would mean stress free travel that is a pleasure to use, a noise-free environment, cleaner air and well designed streets that Londoners can be proud of. There is no doubt this is something everyone wants but different groups have different opinions about how to get there. To make sure the voice of cyclists is heard fill in the survey on the Mayors Website, email your views and go to some of the roadshows.

See also:

• The best bicycle repair book
• London to Paris cycle route planned
• Find London cycle routes
• 10 cheap and easy diy bicycle projects anyone can do

Design of the cycle highways

The artists impression (showcasing some excellent Photoshop skills) from the TfL website basically looks like a normal cycle lane painted blue. In fact taking a closer look at this picture you realise its a bit of a marketing disaster. Not only does it show a scared individual cycling in the gutter but also it shows a London bus driving in the cycling lane. Not exactly dream conditions.

The limited information that has been given so far suggests that the cycle lanes will be:

• Separate from motor traffic wherever possible
• Painted blue
• Following the route of main roads

Definitely nothing too “revolutionary” there. The description on the TfL website is slightly more positive:

Direct and continuous – The routes will be clearly marked from start to finish so you’ll have no trouble following them. You’ll also see information along the way about journey time and links to other cycling routes.

Comfortable – We’ll be improving road surfaces along the route so you can pedal more comfortably.

Easy to find – Each highway will have a clear and unique identity.

Safe – Signals, road markings and continuous cycle lanes at junctions will help you keep safe.

Suggested routes

The first two routes that are currently under development are very direct and a decent cycling length. However, they have limited space to develop larger cycling lanes to accommodate the suggested threefold increase in cycling users that the scheme aims to achieve. If the lanes did eat further into car users space then there would be a highly negative effect on rush hour traffic. Perhaps the standstill would be enough to encourage motorists to switch to pedal power as they watch even the slowest cyclist beat them to their destination.

(Find out if there is anything ‘super’ about the cycle superhighways)

Route 3

• Barking to Tower Hill via the A13 and Cable Street
• Opening: May 2010
• 9.8 miles (estimated) so roughly 39 minutes bike ride (riding at 15 mph)
• View map

Route 7

• South Wimbledon to Bank via A24, A3 and Southwark Bridge Road
• Opening: May 2010
• Follows Northern Line to Bank
• 8.9 miles (estimated) so roughly 35 minutes bike ride (riding at 15 mph)
• View map

Remaining routes

• There are also 10 more routes that will be developed after the 2 pilot routes are completed.
• TfL appear to be aiming for completion of all 12 routes before the end of 2012. However, considering the length of time taken to develop just 2 routes I can’t see that happening.


Image source: TfL

Marketing gimmick or positive step forward?

If Boris’ big blue bike lanes catch on then the outcome can only be positive. After all, any cyclist would be crazy to wish away good cycling lanes along major routes. It is important however not to have the wool pulled over our eyes. The new mayor of London famously cut spending to the London Cycle Network which resulted in 400 new cycle lanes been scrapped.

(See all cycle superhighway coverage)

There are three measures of success here. The first is weighing up the quality of the cycling highways compared to traditional cycling lanes. If the superhighways delivered the promised improvements such as greater road comfort, more room to cycle and priority over traffic then they may raise the bar of what is expected from a cycling lane thus prompting improvements across the network of cycle routes. Conversely if the cycle superhighways end up being just a glorified cycle lane then the benefit will be marginal to cyclists.

The second measure of success is the completion of all 12 cycle lanes. In a positive scenario all 12 would be completed by the end of 2012 as promised. This would have a strong impact to the London cycling scene. If however the scheme is scrapped before completion, which may well happen depending on the feedback from the first two cycle routes and a negative backlash from motorists, then a lot of time will have been wasted.

The final measure of success is the positive impact it has on the number of cyclists and on the awareness of cyclists as fellow road users. If drivers end up paying more attention to cyclists then maybe less accidents will occur.

What would be nice to see in future initiatives is a more united front between the mayor of London and London Cycling Campaign rather than arguments over who is right as this does not portray a positive image to us cyclists. I look forward to May 2010 and giving the first cycle superhighways a test run.

See also:

• Quick interview with Boris Johnson about the cycle superhighways
• 25 amazing London Cycling Routes
• Is there anything super about the cycle superhighways?
• London Cycle Cafe’s. Who? Where? What?