Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has announced that the notorious Cycle Superhighway 2 through Bow and Whitechapel is to be torn up and replaced with a segregated route.
The current route consists of little more than painted blue areas in the existing carriageways, and has been roundly condemned by cyclists ever since its introduction in 2011.
The replacement will see bikes segregated from cars and buses, in the style of the new CS2 extension to Stratford and the recently proposed East-West and North-South superhighways. Most of the segregation will be provided by kerbs, but flexible ‘wands’ will be used in some areas.
The cycle track will be routed behind bus stops, which will become islands, again in the style used for the Stratford route. The project is estimated to cost £25m, with work taking place during 2015 and 2016.
The existing non-segregated route has a poor safety record with several deaths along its course. It was memorably skewered in a ‘cyclist’s eye view’ video produced by the Guardian.
Boris Johnson has also reiterated his determination to get the North-South and East-West routes underway, despite concerns from business lobby groups that they would cause congestion for motor traffic. He told the Times:
“Central London is still dominated by motor vehicles, even though they account for a small fraction of all journeys there. We are reducing that dominance, making the centre more pleasant for the vast majority and allocating road space to reflect the actual usage of central London roads.
“These changes will create a more liveable city for everyone, even if they never get on a bike, and I am determined to see them through.”
A campaign to get businesses to sign up in support of the Cycle Superhighways, called Cycling Works, has attracted signatures from several high-profile businesses – and Johnson hinted that consultancy firm Deloitte would add their voice in support today.