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

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

Mayor and cycling commissioner’s report advocates more cycle superhighways plus other safety measures
by Alex Bowden
Tue, Mar 29, 2016 16:00
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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.

London
Human Streets
London Cycling Campaign
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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3 comments

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JeevesBath | 8 years ago
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"ensuring only the safest lorries are allowed onto London's streets."

A laudable aim, but exactly how can it be enforced? Without a policeman stood at every road entry point to London assessing vehicles before they enter, any enforcement is 'after the fact' - meaning that these vehicles can still be sharing the road with bicycles whatever. Given the number of european hauliers that travel to these shores, it also seems dependent upon freight companies across the entire continent adopting the same designs.

Surely as vehicle design progresses, these types of lorry will become the norm over a natural period of time. Much better to focus on improving infrastructure and driver behaviour in the short term rather than trying to force an entire industry to completely replace it's capital assets overnight. 

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cyclingtiger replied to JeevesBath | 8 years ago
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JeevesBath wrote:

"ensuring only the safest lorries are allowed onto London's streets."

A laudable aim, but exactly how can it be enforced? Without a policeman stood at every road entry point to London assessing vehicles before they enter, any enforcement is 'after the fact' - meaning that these vehicles can still be sharing the road with bicycles whatever.

 

We already have that. It's the camera system for the Low Emission Zone. If you compile a registration system for HGVs meeting a set of safety requirements, any not on that system can be automatically penalised for entering London. Further more, the existing network of ANPR cameras, including for Congestion Charging can offer some real time tracking through the city giving police and other enforcement agencies an opportunity to spot and detain a vehicle before they're involved in an incident.

Admittedly it's not a perfect system but it's more than just "after the fact".

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jasecd replied to JeevesBath | 8 years ago
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JeevesBath wrote:

 Surely as vehicle design progresses, these types of lorry will become the norm over a natural period of time. Much better to focus on improving infrastructure and driver behaviour in the short term rather than trying to force an entire industry to completely replace it's capital assets overnight. 

No, much better trying to force change rather than wait for industry to do it themselves. They seem pretty hot on anything where they might face some consequences and be sued - hi-vis, banksmen on building sites etc. but when it comes to the public roads very few do anything above the legal minimum. Obviously it won't change overnight but I'd bet it will be a damn sight faster with legislation in place.

I agree that driver behaviour needs tackling and alongside public information campaigns and proper enforcement of traffic laws, presumed liability would be a good move forward.

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