WASHINGTON — Cyclists are getting more real estate on the road — and not just in the U.S.
Transport for London’s plan includes an 18-mile-long segregated bikeway that slices across London and the work could start as soon as next week, according to Carlton Reid, executive editor of BikeBiz.com. Reid calls the green-lighting of the project “pretty big stuff.” He explains that the project takes riders past iconic London landmarks.
“It’s going right past the houses of Parliament. So, all of the MP’s, all of the politicians, all of the people who run this country in effect, cannot but fail to notice that cyclists have been given a goodly amount of space on these roads.”
Reid says there could be some speed bumps ahead, including some legal challenges. There has been strong opposition to the project, including from the taxi industry. And the British press picked up on the comments of Steve McNamara, head of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association who called cyclists “the ISIS of London” in a broadcast interview.
Reid says the opposition, like automobile and truck traffic, is having to make way for the increasing numbers of people who want to switch to bikes to get around. Like the Washington, D.C. area, London is suffering from gridlock.
“I think the trajectory that we’re going through in the UK is a very similar trajectory to what you’re experiencing in the U.S.”
Reid says Amsterdam in the Netherlands has long been seen as the model for other cities.
“The standard phrase is ‘going Dutch’,’’ he says. “And now it appears that the global cities that are much, much bigger and busier than Amsterdam, are following suit.”
Reid, who writes extensively about cycling and the development of road networks, traveled to Washington, D.C. and took advantage of Capital Bikeshare while visiting. His visit coincided with the Cherry Blossom Festival.
“It was a fantastic time to be going around on a bike … the colors, the nice spring air. It was just wonderful to be on a bike.”
He’s looking forward to spending more time on what’s being called London’s planned “superhighway” for bikes which would include the longest segretated bike route in Europe. The project completion date: Spring of 2016.
For more information, visit the Transport for London website.
Want to see what the route would include?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thyy2-J-BFw#t=105
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
