London Cycling Campaign lauds Human Streets vision document as “huge opportunity”

The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has said that the major and cycling commissioner’s recent vision document, Human Streets, represents a ‘huge opportunity’ for the city. The report, which assesses progress on “The Mayor’s Vision For Cycling” aims to provide the next mayor with ideas and guidance as to how to continue promoting cycling in London.

The report highlights rapid growth in the capital and says the next mayor should continue to invest in cycling. It also suggests that within three years there could be more people cycling into central London in the mornings than driving.

Ashok Sinha, CEO of LCC said:

“The high quality of provision for cycling that Londoners deserve has only just started appearing. ‘Human Streets’ represents a huge opportunity for London to spread these benefits to everyone across the capital. By adopting our three-point Sign for Cycling agenda the new batch of Mayoral candidates will make sure that, whoever is elected, London takes the next, big step towards achieving the vision of a better city that ‘Human Streets’ lays before us.”

LCC has been asking mayoral candidates to commit to a three point-agenda:

1. Create more safe space for cycling by building more segregated cycle lanes on London’s main roads and making dangerous junctions safer.
2. Encourage more local journeys by bike by offering ‘Mini -Holland’ funding to every London borough in order to transform high streets and town centres.
3. End lorry danger, by ensuring only the safest lorries, with ‘Direct Vision’ cabs and minimal ‘blind spots’, are allowed onto London’s streets.

Human Streets suggests 16 specific cycle schemes. As well as creating new cycle superhighways, including to Heathrow, these include extending CS5 and upgrading “blue paint” sections on CS7 and 8 to provide segregated space for cycling.

With regards to LCC’s second and third points, the document also recommends creating more Mini Hollands and mandating “direct-vision” cabs. It also makes further suggestions on new cycle/pedestrian bridges and tunnels, e-bike hire schemes and ‘smarter’ congestion charging.