The London Cycling Campaign are calling on the mayor to go further in making cycling more accessible to Londoners with their new ‘Dare to Dream’ campaign.
While acknowledging that Sadiq Khan has already done much to boost cycling the in capital, the LCC are putting forward four specific proposals to take thing further: Car free Sundays, A bike for every Londoner, Family-friendly cycling in outer London, and Low traffic West End.
Launching the campaign outside City Hall, the group’s CEO Tom Fyans said: ‘We’re calling on the mayor Sadiq Khan to be a lot bolder and more ambitious in his vision for cycling in London. He’s had a good start, in his first two terms he dealt with air pollution, he’s put cycle lanes in but we need to take him to the next level.’
LCC’s four main proposals are:
Car free Sundays
The concept of regular days in which roads are closed to traffic is not a new one, during the oil crisis in the 70s, the Netherlands and West Germany used such measures to reduce fuel consumption.
During Cyclopia in Bogotá, Colombia over 120 km of streets closed to cars from every Sunday and public holiday, while in Paris Journée Sans Voiture, sees central areas going car-free one Sunday each month.
A bike for every Londoner
LCC would like to see something done to break down some of the barriers to bike ownership in London: particularly cost and safe storage.
They suggest expanding the Cycle to Work scheme which is currently only available to the employed and introducing a ‘try before you buy’ option. They also suggest that loans and hire credits would be an effective solution for people unable to store cycles securely.
Family-friendly cycling in outer London
LCC have identified Outer London as an area with huge potential to grow cycling, but its car dominance and long distances make it harder without the right infrastructure.
They point to the success of Waltham Forest’s ‘mini-Holland’ scheme which shows that focused, well-funded, town-centre cycling plans can work, creating safer, family-friendly streets.
They’re urging Sadiq Khan to invest in bold, high-quality schemes like this, co-designed with families, to bring similar benefits to more boroughs across outer London.
Low traffic West End
LCC point to the progress Paris is making in pedestrianising streets in comparison to that in London. They are particularly aggrieved that the Oxford Street pedestrianisation will not make provision for cyclists
TfL themselves have identified the need for four high-quality and direct routes in the West End but LCC observe that progress on these is almost non-existent.
They say: ‘Unless Sadiq works with Westminster to tackle the surrounding areas, then it’s likely the broader west end could get more crowded, congested and cycle-unfriendly. We need Sadiq to step up on the whole west end – for London’s centre to be better than Paris’.
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