Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson voices his concern over the superhighways plans with “no firm deadline for completion, nor an adequate budget”.
One out of the three currently operational cycling superhighways, CS7, at Colliers Wood underground.
Darren Johnson AM has uncovered the fact that the Mayor’s draft London Plan does not anticipate the cycling superhighways being completed until 2021/22. This follows the revelation that Transport for London (TfL) believe that high quality superhighway schemes will cost an extra £50m. A paper will be going to the TfL Board on Wednesday 5th Feb, recommending that either the £50m is found from somewhere else in the cycling budget, or the superhighways are reduced in number or scope.
Darren Johnson feels that both the deadline and the budget for the cycling superhighways seems in a state of flux. Recent Mayoral statements have made it clear that the superhighways will be completed before 2016, while an old map of the superhighways in the draft London Plan still maintains that they will all be completed before 2015.
Darren Johnson said: “It is worrying that the Mayor’s firm commitment to cycling superhighways, made back in 2008, is now in a state of flux, with neither a firm deadline for completion, nor an adequate budget. My real fear is that very little will actually be delivered by this Mayor and the whole cycling program will start from scratch with the next Mayor.”
“The Mayor needs to increase the budget immediately, so that the full cost of high quality cycling superhighways is covered.”