Letter to Westminster City Council

Many cyclists who have ridden in Camden, Islington or Hackney will have noticed that these places are enjoyable places to cycle. This is because these 3 enlightened boroughs have taken measures to encourage and facilitate cycling and discourage motor cars. They provide quiet car free back streets, contraflows on one way streets, and segregated cycle paths.

However, in the Borough of Westminster, the motor car is king and cycling is highly marginalised - the very worst example being Oxford Street, which is a continuous traffic jam, an extremely unpleasant place from the point of view of noise and air pollution.

I therefore wrote the following polite letter to Westminster City Council
(highwaysmanagement@westminster.gov.uk)

Will I get an answer? probably not, but I hope at  least they will read it and take my points on board. It might just sway them in the future.

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Dear Westminster City Council,

I am writing about cycling in Westminster.

London would be better off with less motorised traffic, as this causes much air pollution, carbon emissions, noise and congestion.

More and more Londoners are car-free and do not want to see their city clogged up by motor traffic.

Conversely, cycling should be encouraged as it is a clean, efficient, carbon neutral, healthy, inclusive and sociable means of transport.

Mass cycling by all members of the population will only occur however when we facilitate it by sound town planning. There is a huge latent demand for cycling in London, but people are put off by our congested, busy streets.

Major cities across the world have come to the same conclusion, such as New York, Paris, Berlin, or Copenhagen, where 35% of people commute already by bike, with a 50% target.


Some simple, but highly effective, measures that you could take are:

• Blocking off small side streets to motorised traffic, to prevent rat runs, whilst allowing cycles through
• Providing bicycle contraflows on one-way streets
• Provision of bicycle parking facilities instead of car parking bays
• Removal of pedestrian traffic lights and provision of raised zebra crossings instead
• Making alleys/paths shared for both bicycle and pedestrians
• Installation of separated cycle paths where practicable

The Fitzrovia area of Camden would be a good example to follow.

Together we can make a more liveable, enjoyable, attractive city for everyone.

I look forward to hearing from you.

A Londoner, who rides a bike, takes the Underground, and walks in London

CS7 ? No thanks! I prefer quiet back roads!

My post a few months ago was about a new route I found to get from South West London into central London.

This route is far quieter, less noisy, less congested, and enjoyable.

Why is it so quiet? Well, the local councils have made the area difficult to drive around in - one way streets,  streets blocked for cars, cycle paths, etc. It's a great example of good urban planning. In some streets on the route I even have to convince myself that I'm still in London.

I even look forward to cycling home on it. Yes, you read me correctly, I look forward to cycling in London!
OK - it's a bit longer than CS7. But when you've done this route once, you will see that it is worth it!

Now, I'm not dissing CS7. It was a good initiative by TfL. It was the first super highway they built. And to be fair to TfL, they only control the major streets in London (Transport for London Road Network (TLRN)) - so they couldn't have built CS7 any where else.  But I can't help but wonder if the cycle superhighway wouldn't have been a lot better had it been located on these quiet back streets.

One thing's for sure - I will never go back to cycling on CS7.

Go on, give this alternative route a try, you won't regret it.

Note: there is a very short section (75m) on this route where you have to, technically speaking, walk.
Also, note that the route goes round Vauxhall giratory This is achieved on a cycle way separated from the traffic.

Double Click on images to enlarge them. All images courtesy of Google.