Pic:The planned cycling superhighway adjacent to the Westway
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Plans to remove a lane from the A40 Westway flyover to create a segregated cycle superhighway have been axed by Sadiq Khan, it emerged today.
The 4.5-mile route was proposed by then-mayor Boris Johnson as an extension of his flagship east-west Victoria Embankment superhighway and would have linked Paddington and Acton, creating a safe route between west London and Tower Hill.
The idea of removing one of three eastbound lanes attracted 71 per cent support in a Transport for London consultation but had sparked concern among motorists and taxi drivers.
The Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush said it would lead to longer tailbacks for shoppers.
The decision emerged from a discussion between Val Shawcross, Mr Khan’s deputy mayor for transport, and British Cycling campaigner Chris Boardman.
Former cycling tsar Andrew Gilligan, who revealed the route’s axing, said: “The cancellation will probably mean that no segregated cycle route from central to west London is delivered in this mayoral term.
“The flyover is in fact the easiest place to put a route. There are none of the usual issues with residents, pedestrians, buses, parking, loading, or junctions. There were even benefits for motorists – several westbound journeys would have been quicker.”
The Westway route was proposed because of the refusal of Kensington and Chelsea council to allow a cycle superhighway to be built on Kensington High Street.
It is believed that TfL is instead looking at “alternative routes that will be better”. This is part of the new Mayor’s wish to make cycling and walking joint priorities.
Green assembly member Caroline Russell: “Taking bikes up and over the Westway isn’t necessarily the best route. If Val, who is very persuasive, has managed to get a street-level route, that is not a problem. If she hasn’t, that is very disappointing.”
Ms Russell today published a report calling on Mr Khan to keep his promise to “make London a byword for cycling across the world”.
She called for “a strategic network of fast, direct bike routes from the suburbs to the city centre” and called for every borough to be able to follow Waltham Forest, Kingston and Enfield and receive TfL cash to create a Mini Holland pro-cycling and walking scheme.
She said the Mayor should use his powers to take over borough roads if councils refused to allow cycle superhighways to be built. She called for £1,55 billion - 15 per cent of the TfL budget over the next four years - to be spent on cycling and walking to bring the capital up to Copenhagen levels of spending.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said the Westway cycle superhighway was a “crazy” idea that would have taken cyclists way off their most direct route. “No-one was going to use it,” he said.
“We’re ambivalent - the A40 [superhighway] would have had very little impact on us. If Sadiq is going to show common sense, we would want him to rule against CS11 through Regent’s Park and Swiss Cottage. We think that is going to cause chaos.”
Mr McNamara added: “We think segregated cycling is the way to go, but on Upper Thames Street, as someone said, it’s done more damage to London than the Luftwaffe.
“Why wasn’t London the first to have a ‘pop-up’ superhighway? The barriers could have popped up at 630am, gone down during the day and popped up again at 4pm. There’s no-one using the superhighway after 10am but the traffic’s back to Canary Wharf.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said: "Sadiq is absolutely committed to making cycling in London safer and easier - that's why he has asked TfL to increase spending on cycling compared to the previous administration in which Mr Gilligan was the Cycling Commissioner.
"The Mayor has already approved the next two cycle super-highways and is committed to delivering a new East-West route."
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