How would you improve central London Cycling?

[Mrklaw]

I've been experimenting with Boris bikes to get from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road and realising how bad cycling infrastructure is in central London. My previous job was by tower bridge and that had decent segregated lanes almost all the way to Waterloo.

So how would you improve cycling in central London? Thinking within the ring formed by the main line stations - Paddington to Liverpool Street East-West, and kings cross to Waterloo/Victoria North-south

My first thought is - there are so many little roads, not much space for segregation but I think it’d be fairly straightforward to make some cycle only - so no cars at all. There are still more than enough roads around for traffic

I think you could make at least one solid east west route, and then have a few N/S links to it

Secondly the stations are really badly set up for cyclists. Waterloo has no real safe routes until you’re clear of the station - same with Paddington. They are updating Paddington at the moment for cross rail - they should include connection to cycle routes

 

[slowmotion]

I like riding in traffic. It's enormous fun and a mental challenge too. Bike lanes have too many people trying to prove something. No thanks.

 

[The Jogger]

Limit larger vans and all lorries to night driving only. I think there was some sort of HGV ban like that in the 70s as far as I can remember but of course I could be wrong.

 

[Drago]

Ban private cars except for the disabled. Ban day time commercial vehicles over a certain weight. Large vehicles onle between midnight and 5am. Construction vehicles of any kind at night only and must be inspected to ensure they're up to the latest safety standards and only driven by similarly permit holding drivers.

It'll save human life and limb, will improve public health by reducing pollution, will ease congestion, and will make the area a generally nicer place. Of course, those things aren't important enough to make it ever happen.

 

[Sharky]

I was cycling into London in the days before bus lanes and cycle paths. The cars moved slowly and you could weave in and quite safely. Thankfully I no longer commute, now retired, but bus lanes scare me. The bus/ taxi drivers think they can go at speed, sharing the same space with us slow cyclists, Just a bad idea. And motorists are more impatient, swapping lanes when the bus lanes peter out. Then cyclists have to move into the car lanes to pass parked busses.

Can't comment much on the new dedicated cyclepaths, but they all seem to be present on the straight & safe sections then disappear on the dangerous roundabouts and junctions.

 

[mjr]

Take highways off of Westminster and Kensington councils and give them to TfL. TfL aren't perfect but they're better than those boroughs.

Once that's done, there's plenty of ways that you could put decent cycle routes through that area, but those two car-crazed councils have done basically none of them for years.

 

[booze and cake]

^This. Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea are so anti-cycling its shocking.

 

[mjr]

Secondly the stations are really badly set up for cyclists. Waterloo has no real safe routes until you’re clear of the station - same with Paddington. They are updating Paddington at the moment for cross rail - they should include connection to cycle routes

The routes are there but they're badly signed.

At Waterloo, exit the station front and turn left, then a toucan crossing takes you over a busy road, under and alongside the viaduct from Waterloo East, then turn left onto National Route 4 towards Westminster Bridge or right towards Waterloo Bridge. There's a quicker way to/from Waterloo Bridge but it uses a busy roundabout.

At Paddington, the canal exit (from the bridge over the platforms) takes you to the London end of National Route 6 or when it reopens (maybe it has) the Platform 1 Eastbourne Terrace exit past Crossrail is one smallish road away from CS3 on Westbourne Terrace. IMO neither of those routes is that great for getting to the Euston/King's Cross area, though.

 

[PK99]

. Ban day time commercial vehicles over a certain weight. Large vehicles only between midnight and 5am. Construction vehicles of any kind at night only and must be inspected to ensure they're up to the latest safety standards and only driven by similarly permit holding drivers.

It'll save human life and limb, will improve public health by reducing pollution, will ease congestion, and will make the area a generally nicer place. Of course, those things aren't important enough to make it ever happen.

That is in direct conflict with current legislation to protect residents from night-time noise pollution.

https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/london-lorry-control/about-llcs

 

[Drago]

It is indeed, but in my grand scheme dead people take priority over noise.

 

[Drago]

Probably very feasible. They won't be hampered by congestion, staff will be able to work u hampered by customers.

It works in other parts of the world - Im always a bit suspicious as when some scheme or other works in Singapore or Kyoto it wont automatically work here, but such things are encouraging basis for further study. Certainly carrying on as we are isn't making society any safer or less polluted, and neither will excuses.

 

[confusedcyclist]

It is indeed, but in my grand scheme dead people take priority over noise.

Noise pollution kills people too, albeit indirectly through the stress it produces. A good compromise would be to keep them off the road during the peak traffic hours and before 10pm. However, none of this is necessary if bikes are not forced to mix with these kinds of traffic with inadequate and proven deadly infrastructure..

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Probably very feasible. They won't be hampered by congestion, staff will be able to work u hampered by customers.

Apart from many bosses will think, "If we have staff here anyway, we may as well be open to customers"

 

[Mrklaw]

The routes are there but they're badly signed.

At Waterloo, exit the station front and turn left, then a toucan crossing takes you over a busy road, under and alongside the viaduct from Waterloo East, then turn left onto National Route 4 towards Westminster Bridge or right towards Waterloo Bridge. There's a quicker way to/from Waterloo Bridge but it uses a busy roundabout.

At Paddington, the canal exit (from the bridge over the platforms) takes you to the London end of National Route 6 or when it reopens (maybe it has) the Platform 1 Eastbourne Terrace exit past Crossrail is one smallish road away from CS3 on Westbourne Terrace. IMO neither of those routes is that great for getting to the Euston/King's Cross area, though.

awesome - thanks. why do these things often not show up on maps? Even sustrans shows nothing around Paddington. Will have to just explore a bit I think. CS3 will take me to Hyde park which is a start.

 

[Drago]

Well, let's do nothi g then and allow the pollution.l and carnage to continue un abated. It's the easy way out I guess.