Transport for London (TfL) is investing more than £87m across London boroughs and the City of London over the next year to make streets heathier, greener and safer, with a particular focus on vulnerable road users (VRUs).
The investment will work to create new cycle routes to strengthen London’s growing network of Cycleways, more pedestrian crossings in local neighborhoods and funding to support School Streets schemes, enabling children and young people to walk and cycle to school safely.
This is part of TfL’s three-year agreement and program with London boroughs, which includes £87.6m of delivery in the first year, to improve road safety in the capital. It will fund projects delivered in partnership with boroughs, who have strong expertise in local roads and transport networks across the capital.
Subject to funding in subsequent years, the boroughs have set out plans that will help deliver up to 95km of new cycle routes across the capital as part of a continued expansion of London’s network of high-quality Cycleways. Recent expansion through both borough and TfL delivered routes means that 27% of Londoners now live within 400m of the cycling network.
Other borough plans include up to 222 new School Streets schemes – there are now around 700 School Streets across the capital, and up to 265 new pedestrian crossings to make it safer and easier for Londoners to walk in local neighborhoods.
The confirmed funding for the first year of the three-year program is a 9% increase (£7.2m) on last year’s allocation, and reflects the importance of the boroughs’ work, alongside TfL and other partners, in delivering the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
Over the three-year program, bus travel could also be boosted in London with 20km of new bus lanes planned, as well as further measures to improve bus reliability, such as changes to bus lane hours and measures to tackle congestion ‘pinch points’ where buses are routinely delayed.
The program will also aim to deliver further projects to tackle road danger across London, including 15 new schemes at some of London’s most dangerous junctions and new boroughwide 20mph schemes. These are central to TfL’s and the Mayor’s continued commitment to the Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury on the transport network.
“Boroughs play a vital role in improving local transport networks, which is why we’re really pleased to be significantly increasing our investment with them this year,” said Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy.
“This investment will enable boroughs across the capital to tackle road danger, increase the reliability of our bus network and contribute to the continued expansion of Cycleways in London. We will continue working closely with every borough to show that, together, we can create cleaner, safer roads across London that encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport,” Calderato concluded.
