{"id":476822,"date":"2026-04-09T13:45:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=476822"},"modified":"2026-04-09T23:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T22:18:35","slug":"theres-now-435km-of-cycle-routes-in-london-but-are-they-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/london\/theres-now-435km-of-cycle-routes-in-london-but-are-they-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"There&#8217;s now 435km of cycle routes in London, but are they safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Cycling in London has become far safer in recent years but there is still \u201cplenty of room\u201d for improvement, Transport for London (TfL) has been told.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Polling seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) in February showed that 43 per cent of cyclists in the capital still don\u2019t feel safe despite the city\u2019s cycling revolution in recent years.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"cjAeKS7Ow2pzIXBJlZ\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nlPsMm9E0Q\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/rotherhithe\/ive-given-my-car-away-locals-react-to-rotherhithes-most-controversial-cycle-lane\/\">&#8216;I&#8217;ve given my car away&#8217;: Locals react to Rotherhithe&#8217;s most controversial cycle lane<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;&#8216;I&#8217;ve given my car away&#8217;: Locals react to Rotherhithe&#8217;s most controversial cycle lane&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/rotherhithe\/ive-given-my-car-away-locals-react-to-rotherhithes-most-controversial-cycle-lane\/embed\/#?secret=JUZGVlIKIh#?secret=nlPsMm9E0Q\" data-secret=\"nlPsMm9E0Q\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year TfL revealed that 1.5million cycle journeys are taking place in the capital on a daily basis, up 13 per cent since 2024 and 43 per cent since 2019. There are now 435km of specialist cycle routes in London, where cyclists have dedicated and often uninterrupted lanes protected from traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even regular cyclists recognise that the capital doesn\u2019t quite match the likes of Amsterdam when it comes to the majority of residents seeing two wheels as a way of life.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMzM5NjAwNTkxMyIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWNvbnRlbnQgc291dGgtZW50aXR5LXBsYWNlbWVudCIgc3R5bGU9Im1hcmdpbi1sZWZ0OiBhdXRvO21hcmdpbi1yaWdodDogYXV0bzt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOiBjZW50ZXI7Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxIj4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLTJ4MScpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICAgICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"UJq1h5bcfLIoZ0\"><div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe title=\"There&#039;s now 435km of cycle routes in London, but are they safe?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QFi54D_EGzw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Yahia Abaza, the Tower Hamlets borough coordinator for the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), has been cycling in London for almost two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While he says he has seen a positive \u201ctransformation\u201d in that time, there is still \u201cplenty of room to grow\u201d in order to make cycling a natural choice for the majority of Londoners.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtNzczMjMzNjA0IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtaW4tYXJ0aWNsZS1tcHU5IHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Ij4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTknKTsgfSk7DQo8L3NjcmlwdD4NCjwvZGl2PiAgICAgPC9kaXY+<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who will be nervous on London\u2019s roads \u2013 they\u2019re riding on a cycle path at one point and then suddenly it stops and they\u2019re having to navigate with buses and taxis and mopeds and so on,\u201d he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd so it feels a little bit overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo I think that\u2019s a really big problem that prevents a lot of people who would like to cycle from being able to cycle and feel safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd even myself, there have definitely been times where, you know you feel unsure about which direction to go. So it takes a bit of practice, but also it\u2019s not something that we should need people to have to do. There\u2019s ways of building the infrastructure in a way that is just more safe and fun and accessible for a wider range of people.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtNDE3ODQ1NDQ5IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtaW4tYXJ0aWNsZS1tcHUtMTAgc291dGgtZW50aXR5LXBsYWNlbWVudCI+PCEtLSAgLzE1NDcyNTA3MCwyMjY5NDE5Njk2OS9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzL3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3MgLS0+DQo8ZGl2IGlkPSJkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTEwIj4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLW1wdTEwJyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-747x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-747x560.jpg 747w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-373x280.jpg 373w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-195x146.jpg 195w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-1320x990.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-750x563.jpg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-1-1140x855.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Yahia Abaza<br>Credit: Kumail Jaffer\/LDRS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need a more complete cycle network. Right now it\u2019s kind of, there\u2019s a bit of a patchwork of cycle lanes that start in one place and then they stop in a different setup of infrastructure and different designs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, other cyclists we spoke to praised moves in recent years which have made it easier to be on two wheels on London\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-747x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-747x560.jpg 747w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-373x280.jpg 373w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-195x146.jpg 195w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-1320x990.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-750x563.jpg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-2-1140x855.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phoebe Slack, 30<br>Credit: Kumail Jaffer\/LDRS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI feel like it\u2019s changed a lot now with all the cycle lanes. I feel like cyclists definitely have right of way,\u201d 30-year-old Phoebe Slack, who often rents a Lime bike to get to her workplace in South London, said. \u201cCars are definitely more aware of cyclists now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nico Nugee said commuting into his central London workplace by bike instead of the tube during rush hour has been a game changer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 27-year-old said the capital is one of the safest major cities he has navigated on a bicycle, with the rollout of cycle lanes a massive bonus to getting around quickly and safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He says nervous novices simply need some practice in quieter areas before tackling the hustle and bustle of Zone 1.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-747x560.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-476833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-747x560.jpg 747w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-373x280.jpg 373w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-195x146.jpg 195w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-1320x990.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-750x563.jpg 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cycling-3-1140x855.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nico Nugee<br>Credit: Kumail Jaffer\/LDRS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI totally get the apprehension, you know, but just practise in safer areas and then start doing it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll get very comfortable very quick and it\u2019s definitely the best way of getting around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked about what City Hall and TfL have done to reduce the risk for cyclists, Sir Sadiq told the LDRS: \u201cThe great news is we\u2019ve increased fourfold the amount of safe cycling [routes] in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve also seen in the recent past an increase of almost 40 per cent of people cycling.There has been an increase in people who have been injured on the roads who are cyclists, but when you compare the increase in cycling in percentage terms it\u2019s a relative reduction. It\u2019s still too high though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo we\u2019re determined to have more safe cycling in our city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re determined to make more progress on improving major junctions, a big source of some of these areas where there\u2019s too many accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut also we\u2019re determined to make sure we take action against those vehicles that are causing harm to our cyclists. You\u2019ll see more use of AI when it comes to the police targeting dangerous drivers, but also more intelligent use of traffic lights as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"FZLRc0WwmQbYKB4J61keNnPX9sUuyVMx3\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"rXGlVKosHw\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/news\/southwark-cyclists-forced-to-keep-bikes-in-weird-and-ridiculous-places-as-borough-named-worst-for-storage-spaces\/\">Southwark cyclists forced to keep bikes in &#8216;weird&#8217; and &#8216;ridiculous&#8217; places as borough named worst for storage spaces<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Southwark cyclists forced to keep bikes in &#8216;weird&#8217; and &#8216;ridiculous&#8217; places as borough named worst for storage spaces&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/news\/southwark-cyclists-forced-to-keep-bikes-in-weird-and-ridiculous-places-as-borough-named-worst-for-storage-spaces\/embed\/#?secret=QBKKouq9bS#?secret=rXGlVKosHw\" data-secret=\"rXGlVKosHw\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cycling in London has become far safer in recent years but there is still \u201cplenty of room\u201d for improvement, Transport for London (TfL) has been told. Polling seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) in February showed that 43 per cent of cyclists in the capital still don\u2019t feel safe despite the city\u2019s cycling [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19652,"featured_media":476823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"800"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7375,13539,18246,800,13602],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-476822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-lifestyle","category-london","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476822"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476928,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476822\/revisions\/476928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}