Transport for London (TfL) has awarded funding of more than £1million to create up to 2,000 much-needed new cycle parking spaces across the capital, providing a further boost to the Mayor’s bold Streetspace programme of measures to boost walking and cycling.
Enabling more Londoners to cycle safely is more important than ever. While the current coronavirus rules state that people must stay at home unless there is a reasonable excuse, it is vital that as many of these journeys as possible are made by walking, cycling and public transport rather than by car. This will help to cut congestion and pollution in the capital and reduce the risk of a car-led recovery, while also improving people's health and activity levels and making extra space on public transport for those who need to use it.
Recent data published by TfL showed walking and cycling accounted for half of all journeys between April and June, up from 29 per cent before the pandemic. TfL is committed to ensuring that as many of these cycling journeys as possible begin and end with a safe place to park, especially as a lack of parking is one of the main factors that deters Londoners from cycling.
Almost £1million has been awarded to 14 boroughs across inner and outer London, with the spaces being delivered over the coming months to ensure that people cycling can benefit from the new infrastructure as soon as possible. The investment has been carefully targeted, with around 900 of the new spaces to be delivered along routes that have been created or upgraded as part of Streetspace.
A further 1,100 spaces across London will be created using a mix of different parking types, including on-street cycle parking, residential cycle hangars and new cycle hubs at Tube and rail stations. In Enfield the investment will create new parking spaces at GP surgeries, helping people to get to vital appointments more easily by bike, while in Merton, Sutton and Kingston, it is planned to create 514 new spaces across 37 schools.
TfL has also approved funding for the first time for two cargo bike cycle hangars in Waltham Forest, which will be in Walthamstow and Wood Street town centres. The hangars, built for local businesses, will be able to store two cargo bikes each, which will help to give businesses in the area more sustainable options for moving freight and delivering services.
The rest of the funding will be invested by TfL to convert some temporary cycle parking spaces outside Tube stations into permanent cycle parking. TfL will also invest some of the funding to create a new cycle parking hub for Hackney Central London Overground station, enabling more people in the area to access the station by bike.
This new investment in cycle parking builds on TfL’s work with the boroughs to rapidly deploy vital new infrastructure to allow Londoners to walk and cycle safely and easily during the pandemic. More than 1,400 new cycle parking spaces have been delivered on the TfL road network since May through the Streetspace programme, in addition to more than 90km of new or upgraded cycle lanes that have been built or are under construction.
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “Safe and secure parking is key to enabling many more Londoners to cycle so I’m delighted that up to 2,000 more spaces are set to be created across our city in the coming months. These will build on the 1,400 new cycle parking spaces which have already been put in place through our Streetspace programme and are making a big difference to local communities. We know that a lot of people have started cycling as a way to get a bit of exercise over the past nine months, and secure bike parking means these trips can also double up for shopping for necessities or other essential journeys.”
Penny Rees, TfL’s Head of Healthy Streets Investment and Delivery, said: “We’re committed to making cycling a safer and easier choice for more journeys in the capital and it’s vital that as many of these journeys as possible begin and end with a safe place to park. We know just how important cycling has been in enabling people to get around safely during the coronavirus pandemic and this new investment with London’s boroughs will benefit thousands of people cycling, building on our bold Streetspace work so far.”
TfL is working closely with London’s boroughs on plans for the next phase of its Streetspace programme, with even more temporary cycle routes set to be delivered over the upcoming months. TfL recently announced the opening of vital new cycle lanes in Greenwich and Chiswick, adding 5.5km of space to London’s growing cycling network.