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London builds homes for cyclists along new cycle superhighway routes

Hundreds of residents to benefit from shorter, safer commutes from mid-2016

If you commute into central London and you love to ride a bike, you could do a lot worse than check out some of the hundreds of new homes that will benefit from segregated arteries into town thanks to two new cycling superhighways.

Due to be completed in mid-2016, the new east-west and north-south routes will be mostly separated from traffic and aim to make cyclists of all abilities feel much safer.

The 18-mile east-west superhighway will stretch from Barking to Acton, taking in and redeveloping some of the capital’s most dangerous junctions, while intimidating streets like Victoria Embankment, Parliament Square and the Westway flyover will be made into cycling safe havens.

Cyclists already make up 170,000 of London’s daily journeys and with those numbers set to grow it’s a developer’s dream to have easy access to the routes.

Transport for London and local councils are working together to build developments that encourage their residents to cycle rather than drive - here are just a few of the proposed building projects as highlighted by the Evening Standard:

Elephant Park in Elephant & Castle will have 2.500 homes - all with direct access to Kings Cross via central London. Each home has a secure cycle parking space and the buildings will be interconnected with attractive green cycle routes. For visitors and occasional cyclists, 90 Boris bikes will also be on site.

Two Fifty One Southwark Bridge Road,  in Borough will have a cyclist’s lounge, no less, along with a gym for fair weather riders.

The Filaments in Wandsworth town centre has a direct superhighway to Westminster, along with a weekend cycling club for residents.

One Blackfriars will have 300 basement cycle spaces plus cycle stands at ground level, but with prices starting at a cool £1.2 million for a one-bedroom apartment they won’t be for everybody.

And as we reported last week, a flagship new apartment block in London is to feature record amounts of cycle parking - amounting to one cycle space per bedroom - thanks to its bike-loving architect Norman Foster.

250 City Road, a new skyscraper in Islington, London, has been designed by Foster + Partners - a twin-towered “high-density, low-energy residential development” of around 900 luxury apartments, costing £840,000 for a one-bedroom flat, that will feature 1,500 cycle parking spaces - around enough for one per bedroom - but only 200 car parking spots.

Nick Curtis told the Evening Standard: “These new routes will open up the city and encourage even occasional cyclists — or those fearful of traffic or daunted by distance — to realise the pleasure of travelling the capital by bike. As a middle-aged, slow pedaller who resumed biking in my forties, I have still found two wheels the quickest way to get across town, even when I was regularly cycling from my office in Kensington to the Olympic Park in 2012.



“That journey and others on my daily commute involve braving notorious intersections — the Bow Roundabout and Vauxhall gyratory that have claimed cyclists’ lives — which will now be made much safer by the segregated cycle paths in the Mayor’s current and future proposals. The new routes will eventually make those from Barking and Acton, and hopefully beyond, realise how reachable the city centre can be by bike. 



“Then there are the other benefits: it’s healthier, greener, and generally better for the blood pressure than public transport or driving. Back in my twenties, I recall a terrifying ride, on A-roads without cycle lanes and full of thundering lorries, from Greenford to Croydon. Imagine if you could do that on a safe path separated from the menace of motorists.”


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12 comments

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Olionabike | 9 years ago
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That Foster development. The council demanded more bike parking than the legal minimum.

Of course the developers often say 'Narr, we'll build what we like,' and Foster does have a hard on for Moulton, but the bike per bedroom is not down to the towers 'bike loving architect.' I would also be amazed if he was actually the towers architect.

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severs1966 replied to Olionabike | 9 years ago
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Olionabike wrote:

...The council demanded more bike parking than the legal minimum...

There is a legal minimum for bike parking for new-build residences in London?
What, a legal minimum INSIDE the building?

What is the minimum?

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bikebot replied to severs1966 | 9 years ago
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severs1966 wrote:
Olionabike wrote:

...The council demanded more bike parking than the legal minimum...

There is a legal minimum for bike parking for new-build residences in London?
What, a legal minimum INSIDE the building?

What is the minimum?

Depends on the borough, but "one per dwelling" is becoming common and they exist for commercial as well as residential. There are also maximums for the number of car parking spaces.

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Quote:

You're doing yourself no favours, crikey. I don't want to start a London vs rest of UK thing and .....

It just gets a little wearing to read yet another London cycling story about yet more London cyclists. It reflects the concentration of exposure on the capital, and the way that the media, here included, sometimes only seem to think about London.

Despite the standard Londoner moans, you actually have a bloody good transport system which works for the most part, moving a very large number of people into and out of the centre of the city.

You also have, for the most part, reasonable opportunity to cycle as a form of commuting.

Having said that, there isn't enough money in the world to make me want to live there...

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Atomic | 9 years ago
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Oh, only £840,000 for a one-bedroom flat. I'm sure those that have that much money really care about bike parking.

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brooksby | 9 years ago
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We're not exactly talking about affordable housing, here, are we? Wouldn't it be better to start building slightly less 'luxe' housing that included bike parking as standard? I'm not a "militant communist" (musicalmarc) but nor am I well off. Mind you, I don't live in London so don't really matter anyway...

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darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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Saying that, north Acton is a hole.

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darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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If you're the sort of person who can afford a home close to this 18 miles of prime real estate, undoubtably you'll be the sort of person who wouldn't dream of cycling to work.

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musicalmarc replied to darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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so well off people don't ride bicycles? only militant communists?

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Dnnnnnn replied to darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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darrenleroy wrote:

If you're the sort of person who can afford a home close to this 18 miles of prime real estate, undoubtably you'll be the sort of person who wouldn't dream of cycling to work.

More likely you'll be exactly that sort of person! Cycle commuting in London is largely the preserve of the well-educated, often (though certainly not always) well-paid, middle classes. It's a status thing for many.

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Hurrah for London, centre of the universe...

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portec replied to crikey | 9 years ago
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crikey wrote:

Hurrah for London, centre of the universe...

You're doing yourself no favours, crikey. I don't want to start a London vs rest of UK thing and I'm not claiming any credit for what happened in London, although I did vote for Boris  1 , but none of this happened by chance. It's the result of a lot of hard work by many people. It also shows what's possible so instead of bemoaning something good happening for others why not start something where you live or petition your local politicians?  16

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