Sadiq Khan fails to deliver StreetSpace promises

After European countries went in lockdown in March last year, many cities started to implement measures to promote active travel, from widening pavements to converting lanes on busy roads to cycle lanes.

For many weeks there was silence from London’s City Hall. Then finally on 15th May the StreetSpace initiative was launched with the usual “world-beating” exaggerations

So how much has actually been delivered by Transport for London in the past ten months?

Here is a list of promises made in May:

• Quickly building a strategic cycling network, using temporary materials and including new routes
• Some of the largest car-free zones in a capital city in central London.
• Some streets will be be limited to walking, cycling and buses. This is now planned for streets between:
  • London Bridge and Shoreditch – i.e. Bishopsgate
  • Euston and Waterloo
  • Old Street and Holborn
• Waterloo Bridge and London Bridge may be restricted to people walking, cycling and buses only

A map was provided at the time of the announcement but it has strangely disappeared from TfL’s website. Instead they point to a map by Sustrans which of course does not show what was promised

Let’s see what has been delivered

1. Quickly building a strategic cycling network, using temporary materials and including new routes
   • FAIL – No semblance of a network anywhere. a few measures here and there that dump people in dangerous circumstances.
     • Example: protected cycle lane on North side of Euston Road ends suddenly at British Library; no indications telling people how to progress East
2. Some of the largest car-free zones in a capital city in central London
   • C – Car-free zones in Soho, Covent Garden and the City are welcome. Not enough to make the bombastic claims
3. Bishopsgate limited to walking, cycling and buses
   • B – The scheme was implemented, but a judge ruled that it was unlawful to ban taxis (under appeal)
4. Euston and Waterloo limited to walking, cycling and buses
   • No Grade – It is unclear what it was meant, There is already a mediocre quietway through Covent Garden and Bloomsbury.
5. Clerkenwell Boulevard limited to walking, cycling and buses
   • FAIL – Absolutely nothing done
6. Waterloo Bridge limited to walking, cycling and buses
   • FAIL – The anti-terror barrier have been pushed to where they should have been set in the first place. Nothing has been done at the danger points at entrance and exit of the bridge. Scandalous.
7. London Bridge limited to walking, cycling and buses
   • FAIL – as Waterloo Bridge, protected lanes in the middle of the bridge (where danger is least) are rendered useless by no measures at either end. There are clear conflicts between paths of cyclists and buses

We have commented before about the PR (i.e. BS) exercise that was the Park Lane cycle lane.

Dangerous pinchpoint on Theobald’s Road

Clerkenwell Road, at the spot of a fatality and a serious injury. Nothing done

Good luck here, North end of Waterloo Bridge

London Bridge – an “accident” waiting to happen

It is difficult to understand why Sadiq Khan has not been taken to task for such a poor score card.

In our opinion the guy is not to be trusted. Please don’t waste your vote in May; there is a good Green candidate.