Construction of a new cycle superhighway, connecting Elephant & Castle and King’s Cross, will begin in London from spring 2017 after securing 70 per cent of support during a recent public consultation.

The 5km stretch, also known as Cycle Superhighway 6, will improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists by filtering them onto quiet back streets, away from cars and other road vehicles. Users will also benefit from wider pavements and more crossing points.

The new north-south cycle superhighway will be connected to the planned Quietway 2 and central London grid routes, opening up similarly safe and quiet travel to Hackney, Walthamstow, Camden and Swiss Cottage.

A detailed design for the route will now be developed ahead of approval from Camden Council and Islington Council.

Transport for London insists that lessons learned during the planning of previous routes would be employed, including a construction timetable that is fully coordinated with other roadworks and optimises night time working to complete the work faster with minimum disruption.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the new cycle superhighway would unlock major health and safety benefits, improving the capital’s air quality and making cycling a more attractive travel method.