I sense most people here are a bit underwhelmed. In any case, here is my current impression:
The Cycle Superhighways are nothing but existing roads painted blue. The blue road marking serves one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is signposting for cyclists unfamiliar with the route.
The picture that evidences most clearly that these routes are not going to be "SuperHighways" is the second one from the left in the bottom row ("CS-visuals-image-1 .jpg", "A13 towards City" in
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11901.aspx?lid=switcher). We see, on the picture, a shared lane, perhaps a metre wide, to be used by pedestrians and cyclists travelling in both directions, with some nice ribbed road surface to throw the cyclist off balance, and some bollards and lampposts to crash into. Also note the finishing touch: the cyclist will have to cycle along unmarked pavement for a stretch of about 12 metres, and in the process probably be required to commit what,
a prima facie, looks like a violation of the Highway Code. Only a closer look at the little blue cycle lane sign on the bollard changes that, but as it stands, it's only confusing. The path would be safer without the sign and the bollard that only features there so the sign can be shown.
It's bonkers.
Looking at the stated aims on TfL's website, I don't see how the scheme delivers any other benefits. It is likely to fail on every other count:
Features
Direct and continuous
The routes will be clearly marked and easy to follow. There will be new signage and road markings, and information about journey time and links to other cycling routes.
Comment: fair enough. That's my point above: the markings are hard to miss. Journey times are a complete red herring. Perhaps a distance-from-goal marker would be of some (limited) use to those unfamiliar with the route. Not "fair enough" though, is the "continuous" label. Are they implying improved traffic flow for cyclists here? But that doesn't improve: the number of traffic lights stays exactly the same. The promise is "direct and continuous". The outcome is that the road network stays exactly the same and cyclists follow the same route they used to, with the same number of traffic lights, and the same big hazards (the road split immediately after the traffic lights at Stockwell and after the
traffic lights at Oval station, both Citybound, spring to mind as examples).
Comfortable
We'll be improving road surfaces and minimising obstructions along the routes so you can pedal more comfortably.
Comment: keeping roads in good nick is an obligation councils etc. already have. There is nothing special about meeting road users' reasonable expectations for road maintenance. It's what I expect councils to do from the council tax I pay (in my case to Merton Council).
Easy to find
Each Cycle Superhighway will have a clear and unique identity. Blue surfaces will also increase driver awareness.
Comment: see comment 1 above. Also, "driver awareness" sounds nice, but in practice I don't see any substantial improvements to safety (see next comment).
Safe
The Cycle Superhighways will be at least 1.5m wide and provide continuous cycle lanes at junctions, advanced stop boxes, and signals to help you keep safe.
Comment: this is a load of bull. The few markings along the Wimbledon-Bank route are, I guess, about 80 centimetres wide. I haven't measured them, but the width is nowhere near 1.5m, and besides, cars, lorries and the like can happily drive within these 80cm "lanes" as they please. Nothing significant actually changes along the Wimbledon-Bank route. The A3 and A24 are exactly the same old roads as before, with the same drivers, the same lorries, doing exactly what they've always done before.
