I thought I'd nip down to central London and take a quick look at how the segregated cycle lanes are working out. As anyone who has travelled around London in rush hour knows, traffic is a nightmare. One of the major problems with cycling is the danger from inconsiderate motorists. Segregation is a good way to address this and make cycling a safe, healthy, secure and cheap option for commuters. Every cyclist is either one less car contributing to global warming, or one more seat on a bus, train or tube.
It seems to me perverse that it is safer to cycle in central London than in a leafy suburb like Barnet. In the above clip, which is 16 seconds long, I am passed by more than 20 bikes, more than 1 a second. We desperately need similar segregation on roads in Barnet and a proper Borough wide cycling strategy. In 1986 I used to work in Blackfriars and never saw bikes on this road. The evidence is there before your eyes. The video was filmed at 8.15am, a worker in a local coffee bar says it is far busier at 9am, but I had a place to be. Segregated cycle lanes work. Ask any canvassers knocking on your door whether they support a policy such as this in The Borough of Barnet.
As a cyclist, I agree this would be fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHowever - I would suggest considering the strong opposition that there has been to the cycle scheme being implemented in neighbouring Enfield to see of the challenges that any council would face trying to implement something like this.