Cycleways in London
Encyclopedia
For those cycling in, around or across London
a network of cycleways called the London Cycle Network exists within the London Metropolitan Area as well as an emerging network of "Cycle Superhighways". Also a number of national and international cycling routes pass through, or originate in, London.
These cycleways are maintained by Transport for London
(TfL) and maps are available on request from the TfL website or over the phone at +44 20 7222 1234.
, with the aim of creating continuous routes into central London by the end of 2012.
the first two routes, CS3 (Barking
to Tower Gateway) and CS7 (Merton
to the City
), are operational; the others are now scheduled to all be completed by 2015.
On 19 July 2011 the Mayor's office announced the opening of two more cycle superhighways, CS2 from Bow to Aldgate and CS8 from Westminster to Wandsworth. CS2 was originally being planned to extend as far as Ilford, but was met with opposition by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales. Blaming enough roadworks already on Stratford High Street, Sir Robin Wales made the decision to block the route from entering Newham on the grounds of cyclists' safety. The route now ends abruptly part-way around the A12/A13 roundabout, with various cycling lobby groups and bloggers citing this as particularly dangerous.
All 12 routes have been mapped. They are:
The London Cycling Campaign
proposed a manifesto concerning safety, cycle priority and junction design along the Superhighways. The new Mayor Boris Johnson
declined to sign it, but said that TfL would take stakeholders' views into account.
routes pass through London. These are the NCR 1 (Dover to Shetland), NCR 4 (London to Fishguard) and NCR 21
(Greenwich to Pevensey).
routes pass through London. These are EuroVelo 2 (dubbed the Capitals' Route, running from Ireland to Moscow) and EuroVelo 5 (the Via Romea Francigena, running from London to Rome).
Other international routes include the Avenue Verte
route which runs between London and Paris. The Avenue Verte follows the NCR 21
for much of the way out of London and crosses the English Channel
via the Newhaven
– Dieppe
ferry.
Cycling in London
Cycling in London has enjoyed a renaissance since the millennium. London's cyclists enjoy a cheaper, and often quicker, way around town than those by public transport or car, and as many trips in London are local, these can easily be done by bike. As London's public transport system is...
a network of cycleways called the London Cycle Network exists within the London Metropolitan Area as well as an emerging network of "Cycle Superhighways". Also a number of national and international cycling routes pass through, or originate in, London.
London Cycle Network routes
The number of regions for the London Cycle Network maps has recently been reduced from 19 to 14, and the new cycling guides cover the following regions (in order):- Central London
- Edgware, Mill Hill, Finchley, Barnet, Wood Green, Enfield, Tottenham, Chingford
- Northwood, Pinner, Ruislip, Stanmore, Harrow, Wembley, Kenton, Edgware, Mill Hill, Hendon
- Mill Hill, Hendon, Hampstead, Finchley, Wood Green, Tottenham, Chingford, Woodford, Walthamstow, Hackney, Islington
- Woodford, Wanstead, Ilford, Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Harold Wood
- Uxbridge, Hayes, Heathrow, Hounslow, Southall, Greenford, Ealing, Willesden, Acton, Chiswick
- Kensington, Battersea, Brixton, Willesden, Camden Town, Islington, Stepney, West Ham, Poplar, Greenwich, Woolwich
- Beckton, Barking, Dagenham, Charlton, Woolwich, Plumstead, Erith, Eltham
- Hounslow, Heathrow, Feltham, Chiswick, Twickenham, Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Surbiton, Sutton
- Bromley, Beckenham, Crystal Palace, Catford, Lewisham, Streatham, Mitcham, Wandsworth, Kingston, Surbiton
- Lewisham, Catford, Beckenham, Bromley, Eltham, Bexley, Sidcup, Chislehurst, Orpington
- Sutton, Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Purley, Carshalton, Croydon
- Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Purley, Croydon, New Addington, Farnborough, Biggin Hill
- Hampstead, Tottenham, Wood Green, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Clapham, Tooting, Sydenham
These cycleways are maintained by Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
(TfL) and maps are available on request from the TfL website or over the phone at +44 20 7222 1234.
Route numbers
When the London Cycle Network was created, some routes were signposted with route numbers, however many of the route numbers got renumbered at least once, and a map is found with London Cycle Network route numbers, it may well not match up with the route numbers displayed on direction signs.Cycle Superhighways
12 new bicycle routes, dubbed Cycle Superhighways, were announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken LivingstoneKen Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, with the aim of creating continuous routes into central London by the end of 2012.
the first two routes, CS3 (Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
to Tower Gateway) and CS7 (Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
to the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
), are operational; the others are now scheduled to all be completed by 2015.
On 19 July 2011 the Mayor's office announced the opening of two more cycle superhighways, CS2 from Bow to Aldgate and CS8 from Westminster to Wandsworth. CS2 was originally being planned to extend as far as Ilford, but was met with opposition by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales. Blaming enough roadworks already on Stratford High Street, Sir Robin Wales made the decision to block the route from entering Newham on the grounds of cyclists' safety. The route now ends abruptly part-way around the A12/A13 roundabout, with various cycling lobby groups and bloggers citing this as particularly dangerous.
All 12 routes have been mapped. They are:
- Tottenham to Liverpool Street (A10)
- Bow to Aldgate (A118 - A11)
- Barking to Tower Gateway (A13)
- Woolwich to Tower Bridge (A206 - A200)
- Lewisham to Victoria (A20 - A202)
- Penge to City (Borough roads - via Camberwell and Elephant and Castle)
- Merton to City (A24 - A3)
- Kingston Vale to Westminster (A3 - A3205 - Vauxhall Cross)
- Hounslow to Hyde Park Corner (A4 - borough roads) Original planned route start was Heathrow
- Cricklewood to Marble Arch (A5)
- Park Royal to Hyde Park Corner 10 (A40 - borough roads)
- East Finchley to Angel (A1 - A1000)
The London Cycling Campaign
London Cycling Campaign
The London Cycling Campaign is an independent membership charity lobbying for better conditions for cyclists in London. Its vision is to make London "a world-class cycling city"...
proposed a manifesto concerning safety, cycle priority and junction design along the Superhighways. The new Mayor Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
declined to sign it, but said that TfL would take stakeholders' views into account.
National Cycle Routes
Three National Cycle NetworkNational Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
routes pass through London. These are the NCR 1 (Dover to Shetland), NCR 4 (London to Fishguard) and NCR 21
National Cycle Route 21
National Cycle Route 21 is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network. It runs from Greenwich in South-East London south to Crawley, then east to Groombridge and south to Eastbourne, with a short final loop northwards again to its end at Pevensey....
(Greenwich to Pevensey).
EuroVelo and other international routes
Two EuroVeloEuroVelo
]EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation to develop 13 long-distance cycle routes crossing Europe. The total length is , of which more than are in place....
routes pass through London. These are EuroVelo 2 (dubbed the Capitals' Route, running from Ireland to Moscow) and EuroVelo 5 (the Via Romea Francigena, running from London to Rome).
Other international routes include the Avenue Verte
Avenue Verte
The Avenue Verte/Greenway is a joint Anglo-French initiative helped by Europe, to develop a largely traffic free route between Paris and London for cyclists, walkers and horse riders...
route which runs between London and Paris. The Avenue Verte follows the NCR 21
National Cycle Route 21
National Cycle Route 21 is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network. It runs from Greenwich in South-East London south to Crawley, then east to Groombridge and south to Eastbourne, with a short final loop northwards again to its end at Pevensey....
for much of the way out of London and crosses the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
via the Newhaven
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
– Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
ferry.
See also
- Cycling in LondonCycling in LondonCycling in London has enjoyed a renaissance since the millennium. London's cyclists enjoy a cheaper, and often quicker, way around town than those by public transport or car, and as many trips in London are local, these can easily be done by bike. As London's public transport system is...
- Barclays Cycle HireBarclays Cycle HireBarclays Cycle Hire is a public scheme bicycle sharing scheme that was launched on 30 July 2010 in London, United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles are informally referred to as Boris bikes, after Boris Johnson, who was the Mayor of London at the time of the official launch.BCH commenced operations...
- Segregated cycle facilitiesSegregated cycle facilitiesSegregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
- National Cycle NetworkNational Cycle NetworkThe National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
- Cycleways in EnglandCycleways in EnglandCycleways in England is a list of recreational cycleways in England.*The Bristol & Bath Railway Path*The Camel Trail, North Cornwall*The , Cheshire*Clay Trails, Cornwall*Mineral Tramway Trails, Cornwall*Great Flat Lode trail, Cornwall...
- List of cycleways
- London greenwaysLondon greenwaysMany green routes have been planned in London which come within the international definition of a greenway but most of them come under other designations in London. The exception is The Greenway in North East London...
External links
- Transport for London
- London's secret cycle routes - Time Out London