List of cycle routes in London
For those cycling in, around or across London a network of cycleways called the London Cycle Network exists within the London Metropolitan Area as well as an expanding network of "Cycle Superhighways" and an emerging network of "Quietways". Also, a number of national and international cycling routes pass through, or originate in, London.
Cycle Superhighways
Twelve new bicycle routes, dubbed Cycle Superhighways, were announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken Livingstone,[1] with the aim of creating continuous cycle routes from outer London into and across central London by the end of 2012.
As of May 2016, only seven cycle superhighways were operational: CS1—CS3 and CS5—CS8.
Routes
All twelve routes had been mapped with route numbers based on the 'clock face' radial direction each route took; for example, CS6 runs in a 6 o'clock direction.[2] The originally proposed CS6 and CS12 routes were later cancelled.[3]
Two route changes were later announced:[4]
- an extension of CS3 to become part of an 18-mile long East-West Cycle Superhighway dubbed the "Crossrail for Bikes"
- a new North-South Cycle Superhighway, co-branded as CS6 and replacing the originally planned CS6 route.
Name | Route | Comments | Map |
---|---|---|---|
CS1 | Tottenham to Liverpool Street (A10) | Was completed in April 2016.[5] | CS1(a) CS1(b) |
CS2 | Stratford to Aldgate (A118 - A11) | Upgrade between Bow and Aldgate was completed in April 2016, with separated cycle tracks replacing cycle lanes along the majority of the route.[6] A further extension from Stratford to Barking has been proposed.[7] | CS2 |
CS3 | Barking to Westminster (A13 - A1202 - A3211) | * Part of the East-West Cycle Superhighway. * The original route was from Barking to Tower Gateway. * An extension westwards to Westminster opened in May 2016,[8] with a further extension of the East-West Cycle Superhighway to Lancaster Gate to be completed by the end of autumn 2016.[9] * There are plans to extend the East-West Cycle Superhighway further westwards to Acton,[10] although this section may be part of the proposed CS10 route. | CS3 EWCS (Phase 1) |
CS4 | Woolwich to Tower Bridge (A206 - A200) | ||
CS5 | Oval to Pimlico (A202) | To be extended later to eventually run from Lewisham to Victoria (A20 - A202). | CS5 |
CS6 | Elephant & Castle to Stonecutter Street | * Also known as North-South Cycle Superhighway.[4] * Construction of an extension northwards to King's Cross is expected to begin in spring 2017.[11][12] * The originally proposed CS6 route was to have run from Penge to the City. | CS6 |
CS7 | Merton to the City (A24 - A3) | CS7 | |
CS8 | Wandsworth to Westminster (A3 - A3205 - Vauxhall Cross) | CS8 | |
CS9 | Hounslow - Olympia - Hyde Park Corner (A4 - borough roads) | Originally planned to start in Heathrow.[13] | |
CS10 | Park Royal to Hyde Park Corner (A40 - borough roads) | Possibly will be constructed as part of Phase 2 of the East-West Cycle Superhighway plans. | EWSC (Phase 2) |
CS11 | Cricklewood to Marble Arch (A5) | There have been proposals for the CS11 to run from Swiss Cottage to the West End via Regent’s Park.[14] | |
| | Cancelled[3] |
Implementation and safety concerns
The London Cycling Campaign proposed a manifesto concerning safety, cycle priority and junction design along the Superhighways.[15] The former Mayor Boris Johnson declined to sign it, but said that TfL would take stakeholders' views into account.[16]
The implementation of the routes has drawn criticism as being unsafe, for example from urbanist and author Charles Montgomery, who, writing in The Guardian, described them as "inherently dangerous pieces of infrastructure... [that lead] cyclists directly into confrontation with other vehicles".[17] However, he was writing at the time when the Cycle Superhighways were not physically segregated from the road.
An unofficial photo journey with commentary along the current super highways is available.[18]
The building of the routes has not been without opposition. On 19 July 2011 the Mayor's office announced the opening of two more cycle superhighways, CS2 from Bow to Aldgate and CS8 from Westminster to Wandsworth.[19] CS2 was originally being planned to extend as far as Ilford, but was met with opposition by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales. Blaming enough roadworks already on Stratford High Street, Sir Robin Wales made the decision to block the route from entering Newham on the grounds of cyclists' safety. The route has since been extended east around the A11/A12 roundabout as far as the Stratford gyratory.
Quietways
Unlike Cycle Superhighways which are intended to give cyclists a quicker way around London, Quietways, also promoted by Transport for London,[20] target less confident cyclists who want to use lower traffic routes, whilst also providing for existing cyclists who want to travel at a more gentle pace.
Routes are generally along back-streets, through parks, along waterways or tree-lined streets, and are designed to overcome barriers to cycling such as high volumes of traffic and unsafe crossings.
Routes
The first Quietway (Q1) opened in June 2016 and runs between Waterloo and Greenwich.[21] A total of seven Quietway routes (Q1–Q7) are due to have been launched by spring 2017, with several more Quietways expected to be delivered over time.[7][20]
Name | Route | Boroughs | Comments | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | Waterloo - Bermondsey - Deptford - Greenwich | Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich | Q1 | |
Q2 | Bloomsbury to Hackney | Camden, Islington, Hackney, Waltham Forest | Will later be extended to Walthamstow. There are further proposals for a continuous route from East Acton to Walthamstow.[22][23] |
Q2 |
Q3 | Regent's Park to Gladstone Park (Dollis Hill) | City of Westminster, Camden, Brent | Q3 | |
Q4 | Clapham Common to Wimbledon | Merton, Wandsworth | Q4 | |
Q5 | Waterloo - Clapham Common - Norbury (- Croydon) | Lambeth, Wandsworth, (Croydon) | Previously proposed as 'Waterloo to Croydon'; later mapped as a shorter 'Waterloo to Norbury' route. | Q5 |
Q6 | Mile End to Barkingside | Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, Redbridge | Will later be extended to run from Aldgate to Hainault | Q6 |
Q7 | Elephant & Castle to Crystal Palace | Lambeth, Southwark | Q7 | |
Q8 | Kennington Park to Burgess Park | |||
Q10 | Farringdon - Finsbury Park - Bowes Park | |||
Q12 | Covent Garden to West Hampstead | From Greville Road (Covent Garden) to Compayne Gardens (West Hampstead) | ||
Q14 | Waterloo - Canada Water - Greenwich - Thamesmead[24][7] | Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich | Route has previously been referred to as Jubilee Quietway | |
Q16 | Paddington Arm to West Drayton | Along Grand Union Canal | ||
Q24 | Victoria Park to Newham Way |
London Cycle Network routes
Several London Cycle Network routes are signposted with route numbers, depending on whether the route is considered to be radial or orbital and which of four sectors the route is contained within. Some of these routes are also part of the National Cycle Network - these are signposted with route numbers on a red background. The LCN route numbers are broadly grouped as follows:[25]
Quadrant | Radial | Orbital |
---|---|---|
Central | 0-9 | N/A |
NE | 10-19 | 50-59 |
SE | 20-29 | 60-69 |
SW | 30-39 | 70-79 |
NW | 40-49 | 80-89 |
The route numbers currently in use with details of the primary destinations served (other destinations are in brackets) are as follows:[25][26]
- 0 Seven Stations Circular, City - (Waterloo) – Westminster – (Paddington) – (Kings Cross)
- 1 NCN, Dartford - Greenwich – (Lea Valley) – Tottenham – (Edmonton) - Waltham Abbey
- 2 A2, Bexleyheath, Eltham, Greenwich - Central London / Westminster
- 3 old A3, (Esher) - Kingston - (Wandsworth) – Battersea - Central London
- 4 NCN. Greenwich - Westminster or Central London – (Barnes) - Kingston - Windsor
- 5 old A5, (Elstree) - Edgware – Kilburn – Westminster – Battersea
- 6 Barnet - Camden – (West End) – (Waterloo) - Elephant and Castle
- 6 NCN, Paddington – (Alperton) - Uxbridge
- 7 Elephant and Castle - City - (Finsbury Park) - Wood Green – (Southgate)
- 8 Includes Market Porters & 7 Stations, Hammersmith - (Paddington) - (Angel) - Hackney – (Wanstead)
- 9 Epping – (Chingford) - Walthamstow - Hackney - City
- 10 A10, Cheshunt - Enfield - Tottenham - City – (Southwark Bridge) - Elephant and Castle
- 11 A11, Epping - (Woodford) - (Leytonstone) - Stratford - City
- 12 A12, Romford - Ilford - Stratford - City
- 13 NCN, Purfleet – Rainham – (Royal Docks) – City
- 12 A13, Tilbury - Rainham - (Canning Town) – City
- 14 Islington – Finsbury Park – Hornsey - Alexander Palace
- 15 (Upminster) - Barking - (Canning Town) - City
- 16 Newham Greenway, Beckton – Stratford – (Cambridge Heath)
- 17 Greenwich Park – Lewisham – Catford – Beckenham, West Wickham
- 18 Dartford - Erith - Woolwich - Greenwich
- 19 Dartford - Bexleyheath - Greenwich
- 20 A20, Swanley - (Chislehurst) – Lewisham – (Deptford) – (Surrey Docks)
- 20 NCN Wandle Trail, Carshalton – (Wandsworth)
- 21 NCN Waterlink Way, Greenwich – Lewisham - Catford – (Elmers End) – (New Addington) - Crawley
- 22 Orpington - Bromley – Catford - Peckham - Central London
- 23 A23, Purley - Croydon - Crystal Palace - (Camberwell) - Central London
- 24 Carshalton – (Wandsworth)
- 25 South Circular - Woolwich - Catford - (Clapham) – (Barnes)
- 26 Eltham - Crystal Palace – Streatham – (Wandsworth) – Hammersmith – (Willesden)
- 27 Part A21, Sevenoaks - Bromley - Crystal Palace – Battersea
- 28 Bromley – Lee - Greenwich
- 29 Sutton – Wimbledon – Wandsworth
- 30 A30, Staines - (Osterley)
- 31 A3 Kingston by-pass parallel, Leatherhead - (Hook) – (New Malden) - Hammersmith
- 32 (Ewell) – Kingston – (Whitton)? - Hounslow - Hayes
- 33 Leatherhead - (Chessington) - Kingston - Richmond
- 34 (Sunbury) – Hounslow – (Southall)
- 35 A315 - Staines - Hounslow - (Chiswick) - Hammersmith
- 36 A316 - (Sunbury) - Twickenham - Hammersmith
- 37 A316 parallel, (Feltham) - Twickenham - Richmond – (Wandsworth) - Central London
- 38 Wimbledon – Putney - Westminster
- 39 A4020 Uxbridge Road - Uxbridge - Ealing - (Shepherd's Bush) - Central London
- 40 A40 (Hillingdon) - (Greenford) – (Hanger Lane) - Central London
- 41 Uxbridge Road parallel, (Acton) – Ealing – (Hayes)
- 42 Grand Union Canal, Westminster - Hayes
- 44 A4 - Slough - (Osterley) – Hammersmith – (Hyde Park Corner)
- 45 Harrow - Wembley - Kensington – Battersea
- 46 (Fulham) – (Willesden)
- 47 (Queen's Park) – Wembley – (Kenton)
- 48 Kilburn – Wembley – (Kingsbury)
- 49 (Hendon) - Harrow - (Pinner) – (Northwood)
- 50 (Marylebone) – (Hendon) - Potters Bar
- 54 (Alexandra Palace) - Wood Green – Tottenham - Walthamstow
- 55 Barking - Ilford – (Wanstead)
- 57 (Dagenham) - Epping
- 58 (Rainham) – Romford - Epping
- 59 (Rainham) – (Harold Hill)
- 60 (Collier Row)
- 61 Romford – (Bedfords Park)
- 62 Greenwich – (Forest Hill)
- 63 Greenwich - Bromley
- 64 (Greenwich Dome) – (Mottingham)
- 67 Bromley (Chislehurst) - Woolwich
- 68 Bexley – (Abbey Wood)
- 69 Orpington – (Bexley) - Dartford
- 73 Croydon – Wimbledon - Richmond
- 74 Streatham - Wimbledon - Kingston – Feltham - Heathrow
- 75 Woolwich - Eltham - Bromley - Croydon - Sutton - Kingston - Twickenham - Ealing
- 76 Orpington - Croydon – Sutton - (Ewell)
- 77 (New Beckenham) - (South Croydon) - (Ewell)
- 84 (Park Royal) – (Hendon)
- 85 Barnet - Hendon – (Hanger Lane) - Ealing
- 86 (Brentford) - Ealing - (Perivale) - (Sudbury)
- 87 (Brentford) - (Hanwell) - (Greenford) – (Rayners Lane)
- 88 A312, Feltham - (Hayes by pass), - (South Ruislip) - (Rayners Lane) - Edgware
- 89 (Heathrow) - (West Drayton) - Uxbridge - (Hatch End) - (Stanmore) - Barnet
National and international routes
National Cycle Network routes
Eight National Cycle Network (NCN) routes pass through London:
- NCN1 (follows the Thames)
- NCN4 (London to Fishguard)
- NCN6 Paddington – (Alperton) - Uxbridge
- NCN13 Purfleet – Rainham – (Royal Docks) – City
- NCN20 (the Avenue Verte follows the Wandle Trail from Wandsworth - Carshalton, then on to Coulsdon).
- NCN21 (the Waterlink Way from Greenwich - Catford - Beckenham - Addington).
- NCN212: (Beddington Park, Sutton – South Norwood Country Park, Croydon)
- NCN232: (Mitcham Common, Merton – Lloyd Park, Croydon)
EuroVelo and other international routes
Two EuroVelo routes pass through London: these are EuroVelo 2 (dubbed the Capitals' Route, which runs between Ireland and Moscow) and EuroVelo 5 (called the Via Romea Francigena, which runs between London and Rome).
Other international routes include the Avenue Verte route which runs between London and Paris. The Avenue Verte follows the NCN20 for much of the way out of London and crosses the English Channel via the Newhaven – Dieppe ferry.
TfL Cycling Guides
Transport for London publish several cycling maps which cover the following regions (by guide number):[27]
- Central London
- Edgware, Mill Hill, Finchley, Barnet, Wood Green, Enfield, Tottenham, Chingford
- Northwood, Pinner, Ruislip, Stanmore, Harrow, Wembley, Kenton, Edgware, Mill Hill, Hendon
- Mill Hill, Hendon, Hampstead, Finchley, Wood Green, Tottenham, Chingford, Woodford, Walthamstow, Hackney, Islington
- Woodford, Wanstead, Ilford, Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Harold Wood
- Uxbridge, Hayes, Heathrow, Hounslow, Southall, Greenford, Ealing, Willesden, Acton, Chiswick
- Kensington, Battersea, Brixton, Willesden, Camden Town, Islington, Stepney, West Ham, Poplar, Greenwich, Woolwich
- Beckton, Barking, Dagenham, Charlton, Woolwich, Plumstead, Erith, Eltham
- Hounslow, Heathrow, Feltham, Chiswick, Twickenham, Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Surbiton, Sutton
- Bromley, Beckenham, Crystal Palace, Catford, Lewisham, Streatham, Mitcham, Wandsworth, Kingston, Surbiton
- Lewisham, Catford, Beckenham, Bromley, Eltham, Bexley, Sidcup, Chislehurst, Orpington
- Sutton, Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Purley, Carshalton, Croydon
- Coulsdon, Sanderstead, Purley, Croydon, New Addington, Farnborough, Biggin Hill
- Hampstead, Tottenham, Wood Green, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Clapham, Tooting, Sydenham
See also
- Cycling in London
- Santander Cycles
- National Cycle Network
- Cycleways in England
- List of cycleways
- London greenways
- Segregated cycle facilities
References
- ↑ Taylor, Matthew (9 February 2008). "City's two-wheel transformation". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ↑ "Barclays Cycle Superhighways Map" (PDF). ECO dalle CITTA. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- 1 2 "Cycle superhighways". London Cycling Campaign. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- 1 2 "First section of North-South Cycle Superhighway opens". Transport for London. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ↑ "TfL and Hackney Council to trial traffic reduction schemes to complement Cycle Superhighway 1". Transport for London. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ↑ "Cycle Superhighway 2 upgrade". Transport for London. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Update on the implementation of the Quietways and Cycle Superhighways programmes" (PDF). Transport for London. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ↑ "Boris Johnson opens Cycle Crossrail in final act as mayor". road.cc. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ↑ "East-West Cycle Superhighway". Transport for London. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ↑ "East-West Cycle Superhighway". Transport for London. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "North-South Cycle Superhighway". Transport for London. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ↑ "Have your say on the North-South Cycle Superhighway (CS6) between Stonecutter Street and King's Cross". Transport for London. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ↑ "London Assembly - Mayor Answers". Legacy.london.gov.uk. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ↑ "Sadiq Khan says he backs safer, easier cycling as Westway concerns grow". road.cc. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ↑ Cycle Superhighways manifesto says make routes attractive to novice cyclists, LCC, Sept 2009
- ↑ LCC, London Cyclist magazine, December 2009, p7.
- ↑ Montgomery, Charles (15 November 2013). "London's 'cycling superhighways' are ideal … for kamikazes". Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ↑ "The Truth About London's Cycle Superhighways – Part 4". This Big City. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ↑ Dean. "Two New Cycle Superhighways Open". Londonist. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- 1 2 "Quietways". Transport for London. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ↑ "'Quietway' cycle route opens from Waterloo to Greenwich a year late". BBC. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ↑ "Quietways, Grid and Mini-Hollands consultations by boroughs and partners". Transport for London. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ "Cycling Grid". Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ↑ "Central London Cycling Grid: Quietway 14 – Results of public consultation" (PDF). Southwark Council. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- 1 2 "Currently issued and used LCN Route Numbering and Destinations". LCN+ Maps Website. London Cycle Network. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ "London Cycle Network - the Official Map 2004" (PDF). London Cycle Network.org.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ↑ "Order free cycle guides". Transport for London. Retrieved 2 August 2015.