Cycle Superhighway

For those cycling in, around or across London a network of cycleways called the London Cycle Network exists within the London Metropolitan Area as well as an expanding network of "Cycle Superhighways" and an emerging network of "Quietways". Also, a number of national and international cycling routes pass through, or originate in, London.

Twelve new bicycle routes, dubbed Cycle Superhighways, were announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken Livingstone, with the aim of creating continuous cycle routes from outer London into and across central London by the end of 2012.

As of May 2016^[update], only seven cycle superhighways were operational: CS1—CS3 and CS5—CS8.

All twelve routes had been mapped with route numbers based on the 'clock face' radial direction each route took; for example, CS6 runs in a 6 o'clock direction. The originally proposed CS6 and CS12 routes were later cancelled.

Two route changes were later announced:

The London Cycling Campaign proposed a manifesto concerning safety, cycle priority and junction design along the Superhighways. The former Mayor Boris Johnson declined to sign it, but said that TfL would take stakeholders' views into account.

The implementation of the routes has drawn criticism as being unsafe, for example from urbanist and author Charles Montgomery, who, writing in The Guardian, described them as "inherently dangerous pieces of infrastructure... [that lead] cyclists directly into confrontation with other vehicles". However, he was writing at the time when the Cycle Superhighways were not physically segregated from the road.

An unofficial photo journey with commentary along the current super highways is available.

The building of the routes has not been without opposition. On 19 July 2011 the Mayor's office announced the opening of two more cycle superhighways, CS2 from Bow to Aldgate and CS8 from Westminster to Wandsworth. CS2 was originally being planned to extend as far as Ilford, but was met with opposition by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales. Blaming enough roadworks already on Stratford High Street, Sir Robin Wales made the decision to block the route from entering Newham on the grounds of cyclists' safety. The route has since been extended east around the A11/A12 roundabout as far as the Stratford gyratory.

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