Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson has questioned Mayor Boris Johnson’s commitment to improving cycling in London after his new plans for a “Crossrail for the bike” failed to include an increase in funding.
The plans, outlined by the Mayor today, include a 15 mile segregated “Crossrail” cyleway along the Westway flyover and Victoria Embankment, a bike “Tube network”, a new network of “Quietways” away from heavy traffic, improvements to dangerous junctions and further expansion of the Barclay’s cycle hire scheme (left).
Despite stating that “this plan marks a profound shift in my ambitions and intentions for the bicycle”, the Mayor’s plans however did not include any increase in the cycle budget. The “£1 billion investment” announced was already a TfL commitment.
Green Assembly Members Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones have repeatedly called on the Mayor to increase the cycling budget by £41million to £145million per year – 2% of TfL’s total budget – to reflect the fact that 2% of journeys in London are currently made by bike.
Boris Johnson has repeatedly turned down AM Jenny Jones’ request to
increase the cycling budget
The Mayor’s Budget assumes that cycling expenditure will be £111m in 2014/15 and £119m in 2015/16. Under current plans, spending would then fall to under £100m for the following 7 years. If proportionality was agreed, as recommended in the Assembly report “Gearing Up”, then expenditure on cycling would grow as the number of cyclists increased.
In response to today’s plans Darren Johnson, Assembly Member said:
“The schemes the Mayor has outlined will only become reality with adequate funding. He should be increasing the cycling budget but instead has started with an inadequate budget which shrinks in years to come.”
“Although the introduction of quietways in some outer London town centres is welcome, the Mayor’s plan focuses overwhelmingly on central London and does not do enough to get outer Londoners out of their cars. We will judge the Mayor’s success on whether or not he actually delivers the initiatives he has set out in his plan today.”