Less dither, more cycle lanes needed

SUMMER is in full swing and many Londoners are hopping on their bikes, taking advantage of the seasonal dip in traffic to stretch their legs on calmer streets.

With fewer cars on the roads, London temporarily becomes a safer and more appealing place to cycle and take in your surroundings on the way to work or the shops.

For the rest of the year, however, this isn’t the case.

Despite the Mayor’s talk of a cycling revolution, he is planning for big increases in vehicle traffic across London in years to come.

His decision to relax parking controls in outer London and sign off £28bn of road construction schemes will mean more cars clogging up the streets, not fewer.

His failure to deliver six of the 12 cycle superhighways he promised Londoners shows he really hasn’t done enough to create practical alternatives to using a car.

To address the air pollution and congestion crises London is facing, the next Mayor should take bold steps to cut the number of vehicles on the streets.

Pledging an end to major roadbuilding and delivering a network of safe and direct cycle lanes without endless dither and delay would be a start.