City's Two-Wheel Transformation

[Lydia Leftcoast]

London is likely to become one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world, with a series of two-wheeler superhighways cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Plans for the super-cycleways will be unveiled next week as part of an initiative to stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.

At a cost of £400m, the 12 routes are intended to be the motorways of cycling and are likely to be emulated by other cities across the UK. Londoners without bikes will be able to use one of the city's free bicycles.

"We want nothing short of a cycling transformation in London," said the mayor, Ken Livingstone. "We are announcing the biggest investment in cycling in London's history, which will mean that thousands more Londoners can cycle in confidence, on routes that take them quickly and safely to where they want to go."

The cycle scheme is one of several environmental announcements expected in the capital over the coming weeks, including a decision on plans for a £25-a-day congestion charge on the highest-polluting vehicles and a proposal to re-fit 900 civic buildings across the capital to make them more energy-efficient.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/09/transport.world1

[nxylas]

1. Britain has a national cycle network

In theory, you should be able to bike from anywhere to anywhere. Not sure how well it works in practice, though.

I was a little concerned about the free hire scheme, though. A similar thing was tried in my hometown, Bristol. The bikes all vanished within a fortnight.

[AndyTiedye]

2. London is the LAST Place in Europe I Would Attempt to Ride a Bicycle Now