Skip to main content

Mayor secures record investment in cycling in London

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has committed to spending US$194 million (£154 million) per year on cycling over the next five years, representing an average US$21 (£17) per head per annum, a level of spending on a par with Denmark and the Netherlands. The investment, part of the Transport for London (TfL) draft Business Plan, goes beyond his manifesto commitment to increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling. It will also include substantial benefits for pedestrians with new pedestrian crossings an
December 9, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has committed to spending US$194 million (£154 million) per year on cycling over the next five years, representing an average US$21 (£17) per head per annum, a level of spending on a par with Denmark and the Netherlands.

The investment, part of the 1466 Transport for London (TfL) draft Business Plan, goes beyond his manifesto commitment to increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling. It will also include substantial benefits for pedestrians with new pedestrian crossings and more pavement space.

Over the course of the Business Plan, up to 2021/2022, a total of US$971 million (£770 million) will be spent on infrastructure and initiatives to promote cycling.

This new cycling budget, which will help achieve the target of 1.5 million cycle journeys per day by 2025/26, includes the completion of phase two of the North-South Cycle Superhighway from Farringdon to Kings Cross, which will begin construction next year. It also includes the extension of the East-West Cycle Superhighway from Lancaster Gate and work to deliver Cycle Superhighway 11 from Swiss Cottage to the West End.

The plan also includes two new Cycle Superhighways, Cycle Superhighway 4 from Tower Bridge to Greenwich and Cycle Superhighway 9 from Olympia towards Hounslow, with each route also tackling a number of traffic-dominated junctions. Consultations will begin next year.

Working with London boroughs, the three ‘mini-Hollands’, Dutch-style pedestrian and cycle friendly streets, in Enfield, Kingston and Waltham Forest and at least 20 more Quiet-way routes will be planned or rolled-out, making cycling safer and easier in different parts of London.

The investment also includes a new cyclist and pedestrian bridge over the River Thames linking Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, creating easier connectivity in the area.

Sadiq Khan, who will shortly appoint a new walking and cycling commissioner for London, hailed the amounts of money being committed for cycling in the capital and promised 'further detailed plans for making cycling a safe and obvious choice for Londoners of all ages and backgrounds'.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Obama administration begins work on 30-year transportation plan
    January 14, 2015
    The Obama administration has begun to map out a 30-year framework to meet US infrastructure needs, according to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, speaking in an interview with the Washington Post. Foxx promised a comprehensive review of the demand for new or replacement systems a year ago in an address to the Transportation Research Board. He returned to the group this week to roll out conclusions expected in a report later this year. “Transportation is a system of systems,” Foxx said, rather tha
  • Virginia presses ahead with tunnels upgrade despite tolls challenge
    July 30, 2013
    David Crawford reviews current developments and legal/financial issues facing tunnel management in Virginia. This autumn the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the US will defend its plan to introduce tolling on the Elizabeth River tunnels linking the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth in the State’s Hampton Roads area. The tolling, which is due to start from February 2014, will be examined by the State’s Supreme Court later this year. The anticipated toll income, along with loans and bonds, is
  • Cubic awarded London ticketing contract
    July 30, 2014
    Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed the award of its Electra ticketing and fare collection contract, starting in August 2015, to Cubic Corporation’s UK subsidiary Cubic Transportation Systems following a competitive tender. The seven-year contract is valued at over US$700 million and includes an option to extend the contract for a further three years, giving the contract an expected value of over US$1 billion. The announcement means the continuation of the partnership between TfL and Cubic which ha
  • Chile needs major smart city investment
    September 5, 2014
    Chile needs to invest US$30 billion in telecom infrastructure over the next ten years to boost its potential to develop smart cities, according to Pelayo Covarrubias, board president of digital development organisation País Digital. During a seminar on smart cities, Covarrubias said Chile had invested US$15 billion in telecom infrastructure in the last decade. The estimated investment for the next decade is the minimum Chile would need to spend just to be able to keep up with other high-ranking digital citi