London Mayor Sadiq Khan today renewed his election pledge “to make London a byword for cycling” and insisted that no decision has been taken over the future of the Westway cycle lane despite reports that he’s set to scrap plans to extend Boris Johnson’s flagship East West Superhighway via the A40 flyover.
On Friday Green party London Assembly Caroline Russell criticised Mr Khan’s reported decision, saying: “The Westway cycle superhighway has huge support, as seen in the public consultation.
“If the Mayor has scrapped the route for good reasons, he needs to make them clear and bring forward something much better, not just cancel it.”
However City Hall says “absolutely no decisions have been made” about the route’s future and insists Transport for London is still assessing responses to the public consultation.
The Mayor’s office says he and officials are also considering the responses to consultations on a 1.5 mile extension of the North South Superhighway from Stonecutter Street to Kings Cross, the proposed CS11 route, plans to create a safer and more direct cycle route through Hammersmith town centre and proposals to make Highbury Corner “a more pleasant and accessible area for all users”.
Mr Khan said: “I’ve got an inbox full of cycling schemes to consider and I am determined to learn the lessons from previous projects as I increase TfL’s spend on cycling safety, triple the current superhighway provision, roll out new town-centre cycling improvement plans, and promote safer, cleaner lorries.”
London’s new mayor added: “I want to make London a byword for cycling by making it an easier and safer choice for more Londoners.
“Although a great deal of progress has been made, we need to increase the pace of change and make cycling to work the obvious, affordable and safe choice for thousands more Londoners.”