New cycling money in latest London local transport funding

Transport for London (TfL) has announced £148 million for transport improvements and better public spaces across London’s boroughs. The changes include better cycling and walking facilities as well as safer roads, according to TfL.

The money will contribute to each borough's delivery of its Local Implementation Plan (LIP) on projects that support the Mayor’s Transport Strategy locally.

A TfL spokesperson told road.cc that the cycling element of the LIP funding is additional to the £913 million over a decade that TfL has been spending on large projects such as the planned east-west and north-south cycle superhighways.

"There are a lot of cycling initiatives in there because cycling is a priority for the boroughs, but it's additional to the other cycling funding," the spokesperson said.

The complete breakdown of the funding includes numerous cycling projects or others with a cycling element. That makes it hard to determine the exact amount being allocated to cycling, but from this breakdown of the spending it's at least £4 million.

Cycling projects that will benefit from the funding include:

Hammersmith and Fulham – £150,000 for a new cycle route on the A315;

Merton: £200,000 towards improving cycling conditions in Wimbledon Town Centre, including indentifying how the gyratory can be made safer and easier for cyclists and pedestrians to use.

Newham: £1m to commence the detailed design on the conversion of Stratford Gyratory to two-way operation, reducing the dominance of traffic and  improving conditions for cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users. £120,000 to improve walking and cycling links around the Royal Docks.

Westminster: £320,000 towards developing and implementing cycle schemes over the next three years, including sections of the Central London Cycle Grid, free cycle training, cycle parking, and improved cycle access to the Royal Parks.

Barking and Dagenham: £400,000 to improve the junction between Ballards Road and New Road, addressing long-standing safety and congestion issues, and making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to use. 

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “This funding is specifically targeted to provide benefits at key locations across London, helping to make the capital’s roads and open spaces safer, more pleasant places to be. Providing better cycling and walking routes, as well as a raft of major improvements to our streets will help to boost the quality of life of those who live and work in our great city. By working with the boroughs to deliver better transport in their areas, we can in turn help to support jobs and economic growth in the capital as a whole.”