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Sadiq Khan says he backs safer, easier cycling as Westway concerns grow

Cycle Superhighway on West London flyover one of five consultations that will be reviewed

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan insists that he is committed to making cycling in the capital safer and easier as the row over rumours he plans to axe the proposed Westway section of the East-West Superhighway intensifies.

As we reported yesterday, Peter Murray, the chair of the influential forum New London Architecture, tweeted on Wednesday that Khan had decided to shelve the scheme, which went through a consultation process earlier this year which found 71 per cent of respondents in favour of it.

> Rumours Westway Cycle Superhighway could be "scuppered" by mayor

Subsequently, Carlton Reid, author and executive editor of BikeBiz, has reported that a Transport for London (TfL) official confirmed to him at a conference yesterday that Murray’s information was correct.

But as mentioned in our report yesterday, the mayor’s press office has denied the rumour, saying in a statement that TfL “is still analysing the consultation responses on extending the East-West Superhighway via the Westway and absolutely no decisions have been made.”

The Green Party’s Caroline Russell, elected to the London Assembly last week, accused Khan of reneging on the pledges he made before succeeding Boris Johnson as mayor last Thursday.

“The mayor promised he would make London a byword for cycling around the world,” she said. “Scrapping plans for the only safe cycle route between west London and the city suggests he is going to struggle to fulfil his promise.

“The Westway Cycle Superhighway has huge support, as seen in the public consultation,” she continued. “If the mayor has scrapped the route for good reasons, he needs to make them clear and bring forward something much better, not just cancel it.

“The newly-built sections of superhighway in central London have been a massive success and huge numbers of people are using them daily. I urge the Mayor to look at the evidence and think again,” she added.

According to the London Evening Standard, one of the reasons thought to be behind the rumoured scrapping of the Westway project is concern from Westfield White City that it will cause congestion for traffic heading to and from the shopping centre – although you don’t have to spend too long in the area to discover that motor vehicles are causing big jams there already.

In a press release today, Khan insisted that he stands by his pledges, but also said he would be reviewing the outcome of recently concluded consultations on cycling infrastructure.

Those include the Westway segment of the East-West Cycle Superhighway, as well as phase 2 of the North-South Cycle Superhighway from Stonecutter Street to King’s Cross, and Cycle Superhighway 11 from Swiss Cottage to the West End via Regent’s Park.

He will also be revisiting the consultations on the Hammersmith Gyratory and Highbury Corner roundabouts.

Today, Khan also launched a new Santander Cycles Business Accounts scheme to encourage companies and organisations in the capital to get their staff to use the hire bikes to get to and from offices and meetings, and those signing up before 1 July 2016 will receive a 10 per cent discount.

“I want to make London a byword for cycling by making it an easier and safer choice for more Londoners. Although a great deal of progress has been made, we need to increase the pace of change and make cycling to work the obvious, affordable and safe choice for thousands more Londoners.

“As part of this, I encourage all businesses in London to sign up to the Santander Cycles Business Accounts scheme and to take advantage of the new incentive.

“Getting more people cycling in London is going to be central to achieving a greener, more modern and more affordable transport network.”

The mayor added: “I’ve got an inbox full of cycling schemes to consider and I am determined to learn the lessons from previous projects as I increase TfL’s spend on cycling safety, triple the current superhighway provision, roll out new town-centre cycling improvement plans, and promote safer, cleaner lorries.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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15 comments

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Accessibility f... | 8 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps it's just me but wouldn't it be better to have segregated cycle lanes at street level, rather than on an elevated motorway?  That way, cyclists have much, much better access to locales than they otherwise would.

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wycombewheeler replied to Accessibility for all | 8 years ago
0 likes

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Perhaps it's just me but wouldn't it be better to have segregated cycle lanes at street level, rather than on an elevated motorway?  That way, cyclists have much, much better access to locales than they otherwise would.

 

depends how many side roads you want to give wau toon your journey

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Jacobi | 8 years ago
0 likes

Is Khan back-pedalling?

Maybe Labour's pet mogul, Lard Sugar, has convinced Khan that people cycling in London while he is being chauffeured through the city in his limo is a very bad thing and not to be tolerated?  1

 

 

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alotronic | 8 years ago
0 likes

His bike looks brand new. THAT is the worrying thing - how much has be actually ridden a bike in London?

It must be very 'interesting' to have all that lobbying crashing on top of you as you become Mayor. He has to balance The City, The Rich, the middle-class legions, and his Muslim vote. Only one of those groups sees cycling as a priority I suspect. Boris managed to pull of some kind of miracle in getting some of those interests to align, I think Kahn will have a much tougher time trying to do the same thing. To be fair I don't think Goldsmith would have managed it either.

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tritecommentbot replied to alotronic | 8 years ago
1 like

alotronic wrote:

His bike looks brand new. THAT is the worrying thing - how much has be actually ridden a bike in London?

It must be very 'interesting' to have all that lobbying crashing on top of you as you become Mayor. He has to balance The City, The Rich, the middle-class legions, and his Muslim vote. Only one of those groups sees cycling as a priority I suspect. Boris managed to pull of some kind of miracle in getting some of those interests to align, I think Kahn will have a much tougher time trying to do the same thing. To be fair I don't think Goldsmith would have managed it either.

 

Boris for all his faults is a real cyclist. Taxi fights and all. This Khan guy only wants the votes, he couldn't care less about cycling. He'll do the bare minimum required to generate spin.

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Pub bike | 8 years ago
0 likes

Shame Sadiq Khan't commit to help cyclists. He supports the stupid garden bridge as well.  Doesn't bode well.

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Eric D | 8 years ago
0 likes

Nice Carlton Courette in the background, with the yellow panier !

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arfa | 8 years ago
1 like

Here we go. Man who doesn't genuinely use a bike around town makes pledges to gain votes and backslides as soon as he can.  What someone actually does is always more relevant than what they claim and the difference between him and Boris is that Boris does actually cycle.  It's all unconfirmed I know but the mood music isn't  sounding too good.

 

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bikebot replied to arfa | 8 years ago
0 likes

arfa wrote:

Here we go. Man who doesn't genuinely use a bike around town makes pledges to gain votes and backslides as soon as he can.  What someone actually does is always more relevant than what they claim and the difference between him and Boris is that Boris does actually cycle.  It's all unconfirmed I know but the mood music isn't  sounding too good.

Pretty much. Also expect the peculiar Labour obsession with getting every single person in London onto a bus to continue.

Any proposal likely to draw objections from bus operators will struggle, starting with the LCC suggestion to route CS6 straight up to King's Cross and along the Euston Road. 

And the thing that worries me most, is that with the parts that have just been built cycling will grow during the current term even if the Mayor does absolutely nothing.

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pcb21 | 8 years ago
4 likes

Pretty obvious what's coming. "Review" 5 schemes. Allow 2 or 3 to go ahead and axe the others. Then claim you're the cyclists friend because you let some continue and on the other side of your face claim you're the motorists friend because you blocked some. Classic politician ruse.

 

It stinks especially because all those schemes are hugely worthwhile!

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HarrogateSpa | 8 years ago
4 likes

Although it sounds as though this isn't certain yet, it is deeply troubling. There must be a strong suspicion that Kahn is in the process of being nobbled by vested anti-cycling interests. If he cancels these schemes, he will shatter his credibility just a few days after being elected.

How long will it take politicians to learn that it is POINTLESS to come up with new bike hire schemes if you fail to ensure that there is safe infrastructure where the mass of people are prepared to ride.

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Pub bike | 8 years ago
6 likes

"According to the London Evening Standard (link is external), one of the reasons thought to be behind the rumoured scrapping of the Westway project is concern from Westfield White City that it will cause congestion for traffic heading to and from the shopping centre – although you don’t have to spend too long in the area to discover that motor vehicles are causing big jams there already."

This is presumably a problem because:

- cyclists don't have any money so there is no point in providing them a means to travel around and spend what they don't have in places like Westfield (or London?)

- cyclists don't pay tax so they don't deserve any infrastructure to help them get to work (where they don't pay any tax remember?), or to the shops 

- they just get in the way of motorists who besides being just more important in general pay tax and have money.  Remember that it is cyclists that cause all the traffic jams in London. Every morning on the news there is report after report of how cyclists have blocked various major arteries in and out of London because their bikes have broken down or they have had an 'accident'

Err...no!

 

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kitkat | 8 years ago
3 likes

Come back Boris, all is forgiven!

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schlepcycling | 8 years ago
3 likes

Politician lies to get elected.......never......who would have thought?.

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brooksby replied to schlepcycling | 8 years ago
2 likes

schlepcycling wrote:

Politician lies to get elected.......never......who would have thought?.

 

Exactly.  Say whatever it takes to get you into power, then say whatever it takes to hold onto power once you get it.  Paint yourself as the cyclists' friend to get their vote, then make friends with all the usual vested interests once you are actually in power. Same ol', same ol'...

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