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Plans for safer cycling routes in City of London likely to be scrappedLondon Cycle Grid.png

Plans for safer cycling routes in City of London likely to be scrapped

City of London Corporation had previously expressed concern about cyclists being put into conflict with pedestrians
by Alex Bowden
Wed, Jul 15, 2015 17:48
12

The City of London Corporation is to block around half of the proposed ‘Quietway’ routes intended to promote cycling, reports the London Evening Standard. The decision comes despite three cyclist deaths within the City in the last 12 months.

Various Quietway routes have been proposed by London Mayor Boris Johnson, but last year, the City of London Corporation expressed concern, saying that cyclists would be put in direct conflict with pedestrians. Now reports to the City Corporations’s streets committee are likely to result in a number of the routes being abandoned.

It is said that one route cannot run via West Smithfield as it is “not compatible” with Smithfield market, while a second linking the Mayor’s cycle superhighways at Liverpool Street, Aldgate and Tower Gateway has resulted in objections to allowing cyclists to ride through Bishop’s Square – private land owned by the City Corporation.

Following cyclist Ying Tao’s death at Bank junction last month, the City’s planning and transport chairman, Michael Welbank, said that road safety was a “priority” and promised to “keep working to reduce danger on the roads by whatever means possible.” Last year also saw cyclists Victor Manuel Ben-Rodriguez and Janina Gehlau killed at Ludgate Circus.

A City of London Corporation spokesman said: “We will put these proposals up for public consultation and we will of course be listening to those who might have concerns.”

Earlier this month, Westminster City Council faced criticism after three new so-called Quietway cycling routes, released for consultation, were branded 'extremely disappointing' and ‘nowhere near’ the quiet routes that are said to be needed.

The designs, which include painted bikes on the road and contraflow cycle lanes, will improve routes' Dutch standard score by just one per cent according to Colin Wing of the Westminster Cycling Campaign.

London Cycling Campaign's Charlie Lloyd added that the plans were "not consistent with our concept of a Central London Grid."

"You need a network of quiet routes. This is nowhere near that because they haven't resolved the through traffic, the rat runs on the routes they are suggesting and there isn't an overview of network of East-West, North-South routes, which is what we asked Transport for London to co-ordinate."

City of London
Quietways
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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12 comments

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thereverent | 9 years ago
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There is some wasted space that could be used for better cycling infrastructure in the City of London, but it's mostly on TfL managed roads (Bishopsgate for example).

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thereverent | 9 years ago
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I can see the problem with both areas:
West Smithfield has heavy traffic including lots of vans and lorries going to/from Smithfield market. I use to cycle through it to work and it's not great.
Bishop’s Square is rammed with pedestrians for a lot of the day (particularly at lunchtime and the evening), I use to work across the road and have my lunch there.
The trouble is that so much of the area round Liverpool Street station is being dug up for Crossrail at the moment.

The City of London did put a response out: http://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/letter-from-city-of-londons-marianne-fre...

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squired | 9 years ago
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To be fair to the City of London, the volume of pedestrians is extremely high, so I can see why issues with cyclists and pedestrians are being raised. The real problem in the city of London is motor vehicles. Personally I'd halve the number of taxis - that would make an immediate and obvious difference. Following on from that I would pedestrianize some of the busier areas, which would not only make things safer, but would also potentially help with some of the chronic pollution issues London is subject to.

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Finndog | 9 years ago
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The corporation have already surveyed their 5000 or so residents and the main concerns of these individuals (mostly finance workers, members of corporation committees or both) was anti social cycling. Fat chance they will spend a penny making cycling safer. As previously posted above they only ever have an eye on the bottom line. Think the bank in Harry Potter....

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OldRidgeback | 9 years ago
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It is appalling.

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don simon fbpe | 9 years ago
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Quote:

the City of London Corporation expressed concern, saying that cyclists would be put in direct conflict with pedestrians.

I can, indeed, see how this is going to have a negative effects on the fatality figures.
Better to leave the cyclists fend for themselves against the traffic, it's not like the trucks don't have friendly warning stickers telling cyclists how to ride safely...
RIP all those who have paid the ultimate price for this stupidity.

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hampstead_bandit | 9 years ago
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its not surprising when you consider, as Shaxson explained in his revealing book 'Treasure Islands':

"the Corporation exists outside many of the laws and democratic controls which govern the rest of the United Kingdom. The City of London is the only part of Britain over which parliament has no authority."

"Several governments have tried to democratise the City of London but all, threatened by its financial might, have failed. As Clement Attlee lamented, "over and over again we have seen that there is in this country another power than that which has its seat at Westminster."

"The City has exploited this remarkable position to establish itself as a kind of offshore state, a secrecy jurisdiction which controls the network of tax havens housed in the UK's crown dependencies and overseas territories. This autonomous state within our borders is in a position to launder the ill-gotten cash of oligarchs, kleptocrats, gangsters and drug barons."

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pmanc replied to hampstead_bandit | 9 years ago
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hampstead_bandit wrote:

"over and over again we have seen that there is in this country another power than that which has its seat at Westminster."

Except it's worse. The City does have a seat at Westminster, a priveliged postition right behind the speaker's chair. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_remembrancer

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RoryLydiate | 9 years ago
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I've heard cyclists described as the last of the small spenders. I don't think this goes with the image the City wants to create.

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teaboy replied to RoryLydiate | 9 years ago
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DBridge wrote:

I've heard cyclists described as the last of the small spenders. I don't think this goes with the image the City wants to create.

I've heard bankers described as much worse and they seem happy with that image...

Face it, this isn't about image. It isn't even really about cycling or infrastructure. It's about power and who gets to decide what.

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pmanc | 9 years ago
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Wow. It's like https://cyclingworks.wordpress.com never even happened.

Between the city and the Royal Parks these dinosaurs seem determined to scupper central London's chances of being a nice place to get about. Well done guys. 2

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alotronic | 9 years ago
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The City of London is a disaster for cyclists. Roadworks, trucks, stupid routing, it's got the lot.

My office looks down onto Aldgate and I am appalled by how bad it is for everyone, I am amazed there aren't more tragedies down there. It's the full insanity from people riding boris bikes the wrong way around the roundabout to tipper trucks making their way to the THREE building sites on tower blocks within a kilometre that are going to take years to finish.

It's so bad I get off and walk the last 500m to work, riding is just waaaaay to dangerous. There are effectively no safe routes through the city. Frankly it's only just safe enough as a walk!

So clearly the transport lobby have done a number on the mayor of London - well done, I salute you. With more than one finger and less than three.

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