London is set for a cyclist boost with £4m extra cash earmarked for improving cycling facilities and encourage cycling in the capital.
Transport for London announced the funding to help develop the 13 existing outer London ‘Biking Boroughs’. The Biking Boroughs will have to bid for their shares of the cash, which could be used for schemes like cycle-awareness training for lorry drivers, extra cycle parking at stations and better cycle lanes.
A ‘cycling bloom in the boroughs’
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “This funding will enable our friends in outer London to develop exciting ways to make cycling bloom in their boroughs making it easier to replace some short car journeys with pedal power.”
“We want healthier Londoners breathing better quality air on less congested roads and we all want an economic boost to our local shops and town centres. I believe developing Biking Boroughs can make this happen.”
Cash for widespread improvements
The total amount of £4m could pay for:
- 40,000 on-street cycle parking spaces
- cyclist awareness training for 200,000 lorry drivers
- safety training courses for 66,000 cyclists
- 60 miles of quiet cycle routes in suburban areas
The final decision on what cycling improvements to spend the cash on will be made by the individual boroughs.
Building on the Biking Boroughs scheme
The Biking Boroughs scheme was originally announced in January 2010 to provide extra support to create a local culture of cycling throughout London.
Ben Plowden, TfL Director of Better Routes and Places, said: “Research shows how more than half of the trips in the capital that could be made by bicycle are in Outer London – a total of 2.4 million journeys a day, most of which are currently made by car.”
“Biking Boroughs aim to introduce simple, locally focused solutions that encourage residents to consider, for each journey, whether a bike could be used.”
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