Is London's cycle revolution losing momentum, asks mayoral candidate Jenny Jones

Clearly we have reached saturation point: without better infrastructure mass cycling won't happen. And, yes government must INVEST in that to happen.

Our streetscape must now be delineated to include the bicycle. And... that's why it's getting more and more difficult to "spend the money": there are difficult POLITICAL decisions to take.

Anti-car!! Yeah. Bring it on!

The reverent is right about enforcement - go onto the City of London Police website and look at the minutes of their community liaison meetings. Initially they focussed on "dangerous cyclists" but later the brief was changed to all moving traffic violations. Funny, though, how throughout, over 80% of all stops and fixed penalties have been issued to cyclists. Not many to motorbikes and taxis which jump lights or infringe cycle boxes.

I don't know what infrastructure works - varies from place to place I suppose and in the city centre that is more likely to be filtered permeability than segregated lanes, but at the moment we don't get anything. And while I agree that cycling in London is objectively quite safe (compared with the countryside, annyway) they critical test is subjective safety. If you want cyclists to be more than just the MAMIL population, you need to address that.

Unlike Matt_S I think cycling in London will keep increasing. But in spite of what TfL are doing rather than because of it.
Using a car is only going to get more expensive and public transport is crowded.

A big boost would be more law enforcement on road safety. Dangerous driving, uninsured and unroadworthy vehicles, parking in cyle lanes and on pavements, and speeding to think of a few.
This would make cycling safer, which is the big barrier for most people.

Quote:

And while were talking fines. I'd like to see some kind of on the beat campaign stopping and fining cyclists who run red lights and ride on the pavement. To me, this seems to have grown exponentially since the Boris bikes were let loose. (And while they're at it, they can be shown a few pictures of people who've been t-boned at the lights.)
Why should we expect drivers to act courteously and responsibly on the road if cyclists are flouting the law left right and centre?

There are plenty. I work in the City of London and there are regualr red light jumper stings at several locations around my office.
Examples of stings and people being caught: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgCpycc3-_U

TfL's own research shows that most of the expansion of cycling in London is due to the same number of cyclists cycling more often, rather than a genuine widening of people cycling. All the new recruits to cycling are merely replacing those giving up because it's just too hostile or scary. Sure, the roads are there for everyone in theory but they're not exactly inviting for people wanting their kids to cycle to school, older people, or those of us who don't want to dice with death on a daily basis. Before I left London, I gave up doing all but the shortest journeys by bike because I got sick of having cars just pull onto the bit of road I was already cycling on and I'm a pretty confident cyclist. Maybe it's not *really* dangerous if you're alert enough and fast enough to get out of the way but that's really no way to travel to work, is it? And it's certainly no way for my seven year old niece to get to school, so another car joins the school run...

It's an eye opener that there's so much unspent money in London. So much for 'we simply can't afford it.' Why not take what's left over and do one tiny part of London properly along Dutch lines? Then we'll see who can cycle there...

God, I'd hate to have to commute through London on a bike. Apart from dodging HGVs and breathing in shit, there's the fixie riding skinny jeans types, the pious MPs, plonkers on Boris 'bikes' and RLJers to compete with. Think Boris would get some considerable good PR if he took up Matt S's suggestion about fines.

I think there could be a collapse in cycling in London. The growth in cyclists on the street simply isn't matched with investment in cycling provision and a change attitude to (and of) cyclists. If these things don't change, then there will be a marked increase in cycling accidents and fatalities. And then people will be back off their bikes.

The lack cycling provision was strongly highlighted watching the world champs last week. The cycling lanes all over Copenhagen were practically motorways in themselves. But it's also the smaller things that make a difference. ASLs and filter lanes that are well marked and enforced - it needs to be an offence to drive into the box full stop. None of this and if drivers don't want to respect them, then put cameras up and start issuing automatic fines.

And while were talking fines. I'd like to see some kind of on the beat campaign stopping and fining cyclists who run red lights and ride on the pavement. To me, this seems to have grown exponentially since the Boris bikes were let loose. (And while they're at it, they can be shown a few pictures of people who've been t-boned at the lights.)

Why should we expect drivers to act courteously and responsibly on the road if cyclists are flouting the law left right and centre?

the economy isn't in a good way. budgets have to be cut somewhere.

The evidence that I see on a daily basis is plenty of cycling.

think there is far more cycling in London than Paris.