Londoners welcome Boris’ cyclist plans

Will the Victoria Embankment look like this in the future? 
(london.gov.uk)

London Mayor Boris Johnson’s Vision for Cycling will create a 15-mile segregated ‘Crossrail for the bike‘ as part of the £913 bid to double the number of cycling Londoners in the next decade.

Fear for injury is perhaps the main reason why many avoid cycling in London and ill-tempered drivers leave cyclists feeling unwanted on the streets.

Ingvild Peersen, a London resident, said: “I’ve experiences car drivers honking the horn and shouting angry remarks, also pedestrians have said ‘get the fuck of the pavement!’ I didn’t feel welcome on a bike anywhere.”

Cyclists may get better conditions than this in the future

She said the lack of safety on the road made her think twice before getting on the bike but welcomed the Mayor’s new plans:

“I would’ve loved to use my bike to school if there had been separate cycle roads leading me there, I would easily have swapped that for the Tube.”

Another London resident, Daniel Willoch, said: “When I cycled in the city, I actually discovered London to be ideal for cycling geographically; relatively flat and not too big. But all the cars, buses, cabs and pedestrians made it nearly impossible to get around.”

“I would be very happy if Boris’ plans were realized and I’m sure employers would be too, as regular exercise improves work capacity.”

‘Crossrail for the bike’ is also part of a scheme to ease the pressure on public transport and many cycle routes will run parallel with key Underground, rail and bus routes – from west London to Barking

The Vision for Cycling prospectus outlines these key outcomes:

• Tube network for the bike
• Safer streets
• More cyclists
• Better places for everyone