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Video: First look at London's North-South Cycle Superhighway

YouTube user CycleGaz filmed new infrastructure last week - formal launch takes place tomorrow

A section of London’s North-South Cycle Superhighway (CS) that opened last week carries the designation CS6 – the number originally given to a proposed route that Mayor of London Boris Johnson confirmed last year was one of two that had been cancelled.

The route’s numbering as CS6 was spotted by eagle-eyed helmet camera user Cyclegaz, who filmed his ride on the new infrastructure, which runs north of Elephant & Castle along St George’s Road, last week.

That section was never on the planned route of CS6, which had been due to run from Penge to the City, joining the existing CS7 route at Elephant & Castle. As a result, it would not have continued onto St George’s Road in any event.

In September last year, however, the mayor confirmed in a written answer to Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson that it had been “deleted from the programme.”

The new route will be officially opened tomorrow, and Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed to road.cc that it will be co-branded CS6. We’ll let you have further details once we have them.

The St George’s Road section of the North-South Cycle Superhighway was in the spotlight earlier this year when it emerged that Southwark Council had written to TfL to point out that it added around 350 metres to cyclists’ journeys compared to an alternative route.

TfL said in its Response to Consultation published in January, that respondents including Sustrans, the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain and the inclusive cycling charity Wheels for Wellbeing, “would prefer the proposed route to use a more direct link between Elephant & Castle and St George’s Circus.”

It said that among the reasons for routing the Cycle Superhighway along St George’s Road rather than London Road were that the latter was insufficiently wide for segregated, two-way cycling infrastructure and that installing it there would require the removal of general traffic lanes or two bus lanes.

TfL said: “Removal of bus lanes would significantly impact bus journey times. The removal of general traffic lanes would require need an additional junction.

“This would require a new design and prevent delivery of the Elephant & Castle scheme by 2016.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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14 comments

Avatar
ibike | 9 years ago
3 likes

Looks amazing - safe, direct, convenient and attractive. Just what we need to get everybody cycling!

We need LOTS more routes like this.

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pmanc | 9 years ago
3 likes

I can just imagine the Dutch watching this and wondering why everyone's so excited.   1

Great to see this, but I imagine it's going to be a lot busier than that before too long!

 

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thereverent | 9 years ago
2 likes

I saw this video last night, so changed my route to work to take a look.

Just so good. Along with what I've seen of the East-West Superhighway and the new bits of CS5.

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DaveE128 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Looks pretty awesome! That speed/rlj camera is weird isn't it? Maybe it was from before the cycle track was constructed and will be (re)moved?

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Paul99 | 9 years ago
5 likes

Cycled it yesterday and today and i can confirm that the road surface is awesome and you feel very smug passing all the queueing traffic on St George's road. I don't go to St George's circus - i carry on to Westminster bridge and you do come out of this section pretty abruptly, but it's a welcome change to the 4 lanes of one-way traffic that would razz past you and turn left at that junction - or the buses that would overtake and then pull in to their stops. It was a horrible road before.  Agree on why it doesn't go along London road too, although cyclists can still use the contraflow bus lane that does, so if you want to ignore this new slightly longer route there's no reason you can't if you are happy in the bus lane. 

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Danger Dicko | 9 years ago
2 likes

That looks great. 

We need more. As Ciderman said, this is about persuading people to use it for cycling 5-10 miles instead of driving.

Now we just need it to be used by regular riders, not just cyclists!

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ciderman_100 | 9 years ago
3 likes

Looks like the way forward to getting people out of their cars and on to cycles for those short journeys 5-10 miles

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zanf replied to ciderman_100 | 9 years ago
0 likes

ciderman_100 wrote:

Looks like the way forward to getting people out of their cars and on to cycles for those short journeys 5-10 miles

More a case of getting people to walk or cycle for the journeys UNDER 5 miles. Over 50% of car journeys are under this distance.

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HarrogateSpa | 9 years ago
0 likes

The Leeds Bradford Cycle Superhighway is also taking shape - said to be about 50% built (but maybe a bit less than that, in my opinion), and the current completion date is April 2016 (although it has slipped before).

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CXR94Di2 replied to HarrogateSpa | 9 years ago
1 like
HarrogateSpa wrote:

The Leeds Bradford Cycle Superhighway is also taking shape - said to be about 50% built (but maybe a bit less than that, in my opinion), and the current completion date is April 2016 (although it has slipped before).

Looks to be a promising start, albeit slow progress. Maybe, pause here, further routes like from Guiseley (and beyond) will be installed. Also from all parts of the compass. Leeds like many big cities is a mini London, completely congested with vehicles

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the little onion replied to CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
1 like

CXR94Di2 wrote:
HarrogateSpa wrote:

The Leeds Bradford Cycle Superhighway is also taking shape - said to be about 50% built (but maybe a bit less than that, in my opinion), and the current completion date is April 2016 (although it has slipped before).

Looks to be a promising start, albeit slow progress. Maybe, pause here, further routes like from Guiseley (and beyond) will be installed. Also from all parts of the compass. Leeds like many big cities is a mini London, completely congested with vehicles

 

The Leeds Bradford thing is a disgrace - it was supposed to be open in time for the Grand Depart. And as the link explains, some of the junction designs are dangerous and a direct contradiction of the TfL guidance. The team behind it are too preoccupied with devious PR messages and handing out free pens to correct their mistakes. If only it were the quality of this London infrastructure....

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Jonny_Trousers | 9 years ago
1 like

It actually looks rather awesome. 

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Manchestercyclist | 9 years ago
1 like

Chist almighty you lot are lucky. In manchester the council can't afford enough white paint for a solid line and have to keep having gaps in it, that's amazing in comparison to what we've got.

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CygnusX1 | 9 years ago
0 likes

What's the speed/RLJ camera at 1:15 pointing at?  angry

 

Looks good though - it may have some faults, as users of it will no doubt point out, but head and shoulders above what most of us have to put up with for infrastructure.

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