TfL to direct Olympic cyclists away from Bow Roundabout and CS2 next summer

Cyclists heading to the Olympic Park during next summer's Games will be "deliberately directed" away from Bow Roundabout a Transport for London (TfL) official said yesterday he also said that any design changes to the roundabout or the road layout recommended following the deaths of two cyclists there in the last 3 weeks would be undertaken as soon as possible and undertook that TfL would engage with the London Cycling Campaign over its proposals for the junction.

Speaking in response to question from Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones TfL director, Ben Plowden said that cyclists heading to the Games would deliberately be directed away from the roundabout if they are riding to the Olympic Park. Despite being the closest point on the Barclays Cycle Superhighway the roundabout would not be one of the preferred routes for cyclists heading to the Games from the west.

According to Mr Plowden the reason for this is not to do with the roundabout's dreadful safety record for cyclists since the installation of the Cycle Superhighway, but because using it to get to the Olympic Park would make it more difficult for cyclists to access the 7,000 temporary cycle parking places that will be installed for Games spectators.

The Olympic Games organisers and TfL have set themselves a target of 2 per cent of all journeys to the Olympics being made by bike – Jenny Jones pointed out that this was actually less then the current level of cycling journeys made in the area and wondered whether TfL was actually trying to discourage people from cycling to the Games. It certainly seems bizarre that one of London's major cycling routes which will deliver you from Central London to within spitting distance of the Olympic Park is not a preferred route, although were the current roundabout design still in place next summer sending thousands of extra cyclists down it would be a recipe for disaster. And while Mr Plowden did commit to implementing any changes required at the roundabout as quickly as possible he did also point out that if any major civil engineering work was required that might have to wait until after the Games.

You can order a copy of walking and cycling routes to the Olympic Park from the Transport for London website.