TfL announces cycle safety improvements on their way at 50 junctions throughout London

Transport for London is to roll out cycle safety improvements at more than 50 junctions throughout the capital, it has announced today. Trixi mirrors, traffic lights specifically for cyclists and segregated lanes are among the features that will be introduced as part of a multi-million pound investment in cycle safety, adds TfL.

The announcement follows TfL’s initial review of cycle safety at more than 500 locations throughout the city ordered by Mayor Boris Johnson in response to pressure from cycle campaigners and opposition politicians following the deaths of several cyclists last autumn.

TfL has now identified a priority list of 100 junctions which has been compiled through feedback from people who use them, the number of cyclists passing through, and data regarding collisions.

What iisn’t clear exactly is which of those 100 are in the first batch of junctions that will benefit from the improvements. Links and a map with with details of the 100 junctions under review are on the TfL website 35 junctions from that 100 which will be amongst the 50 worked on first.

Now it is working on drawing up initial designs for each location, and says it has made a commitment to completing its review and producing detailed designs for those 100 junctions by the end of 2013.

It adds that some 50 junctions will see improvements made to them during the next 18 months, the first of those by the end of this year, comprising 35 junctions from that list of 100 and 15 locations from the next 400.

Those improvements include giving cyclists more space through widening the junctions, putting more segregated cycle lanes in place, and installing early start traffic lights for bike riders similar to those recently introduced at Bow Roundabout, where two cyclists were killed last year.

TfL goes on to say that lessons learnt so far during the review of junctions will be taken into account into the designs for the other junctions, including those on the Barclays Cycle Highways that are yet to be laid out. There will also be a full consultation process with residents and other stakeholders.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who as we reported yesterday has been urged by the father of a man killed while cycling last week to improve conditions for bike riders, said: “I am one hundred per cent committed to making London's roads safer for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

“Our review of junctions is making a major contribution to that aim and I want particularly to thank the many stakeholder organisations that have provided detailed input to this review already,” he added

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, commented: “Cycling in London has rapidly increased in recent years, with many more thousands of people taking to two wheels than ever before.

“Our junction review programme has allowed us to relook at key junctions on our road network and identify a range of innovative improvements which, when delivered, will greatly benefit all road users across London.”