LONDON, UK – London Mayor Ken Livingstone recently announced the most ambitious programme to transform walking and cycling in London. “The aim of this programme is nothing short of a cycling and walking transformation in London. We will build upon London’s leading position as the only major world city to have achieved a switch from private car use to public transport, cycling and walking”, said Livingstone.
The package of measures will create a new network of quick, simple, and safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians that will change the profile and priority of walking and cycling on London's streets.
6,000 bicycles
With the introduction of a central London bike hire scheme with 6,000 bikes available every 300 metres, cycling will be accessible to many more Londoners and will become a fully-funded part of the public transport network for the first time. There will also be new commuter cycle routes from inner and outer London and cycle zones around urban town centres.
These radical measures are given a high priority on the UK Capital’s streets and will make a significant contribution to tackling climate change, aiming to have one in ten round trips in London each day made by bike, and saving some 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to driving round the M25 55 million times) per year as Londoners increasingly choose to walk or cycle for short trips instead of taking their car.
Cycling transformation
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "The aim of this programme is nothing short of a cycling and walking transformation in London. We will spend something like GBP 500 million (€ 672mn) over the next decade on cycling. This is the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go.”
"The cycle hire scheme in Paris has proved a huge success, and I have now instructed Transport for London to work with the London boroughs and interested parties to develop and implement a bike hire scheme in central London, accessible to all Londoners. By ensuring that Londoners have easy access to bikes in the centre of the capital, as well as making our city a safer and more enjoyable place to cycle, we will build upon London’s leading position as the only major world city to have achieved a switch from private car use to public transport, cycling and walking.”
The programme's aim is that by 2025 five percent of all daily trips are made by bike - 1.7 million in total, and that 22% are made on foot.
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