Cycling - On your bike
As London’s requirements evolve, innovative solutions are necessary to support cyclists in navigating the city
BICYCLES ARE MORE than just a means of transport, they’re a political hot potato as well. Boris loves them, Grant Shapps wants to stick number plates on them and Rishi Sunak would rather forget all about them and use a car instead. They’re accessible, egalitarian, ecofriendly and money-saving or they’re aggressive, dangerous, untaxed and ruining the high street – depending, of course, on who you ask.
Dissing+Weitling pioneered one of the design innovations that has helped Copenhagen’s status as one of the best cycling cities in the world. Faced with the same conflict between different road users that London is struggling with now, The City of Copenhagen went with the carrot rather than the stick approach and chose to create a brand new space for cyclists that would encourage people to switch to a bike because of its convenience. Image Credit: Rasmus Hjortshøj Coast Studio
What isn’t up for debate is that UK cities lag far behind when it comes to being pleasant places to be a person who cycles (as distinct from a ‘cyclist’ who pedals for sport). The 2022 Global Bicycle Cities Index by insurance company Coya, which rates cities on bikefriendly criteria from infrastructure and weather to accident rates and bike thefts, puts London in 62nd place, behind Tel Aviv, Casablanca and Reykjavik. The UK’s top entry, at 15, was Bristol, with Edinburgh coming in 34th. Perhaps, it’s not surprising that in Copenhagen, widely regarded as the most bike-friendly city in the world, 62% of commuting journeys are cycled, but in the UK it’s just 4%.
The Bicycle Snake or Cykelslangen, which lifted those on two wheels far above pedestrians, is now used by more than 12,000 cyclists a day and has been the inspiration for some of the practice’s other bicycle bridges around the world, including the 7km Xiamen Bicycle Skyway. Image Credit: Rasmus Hjortshøj Coast Studio
In a time of climate breakdown, obesity and sky-high fuel prices, persuading people to make short journeys under their own steam is clearly sensible. According to the Government’s Decarbonising Transport plan, 58% of all private car journeys are for less than five miles – around half an hour for the average cyclist and half that for the super fit. Given that the average peak time car speed in London is just over seven miles an hour, it’s not an unrealistic plan, but turning Britain’s city dwellers into happy bike users is not proving to be a walk in the park.
This is China’s first suspended bicycle bridge, which takes bike traffic out of the crowded traffic below and into the ‘joyful experience’ of the world’s longest bicycle bridge which integrates pedestrian bridges, ramps, roundabouts, bicycle parking, bicycle service pavilions and points of interest. Image Credit: Ma Weiwei
Much of the fury stems around Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), where cars are banned or restricted. Around 300 have been installed in the last two years or are in the pipeline and they are loved and loathed in passionate measure. For Rosslyn Colderley, director at cycling charity Sustrans England North, getting through-traffic out of residential city neighbourhoods is vital. ‘At the moment planning is massively skewed towards the needs of people who are driving a car, who are essentially a privileged elite – 30% of people in Greater Manchester don’t have access to a car at all. People who are driving into a city are taking their pollution through the areas where the poorer people live and putting their health at risk, so there are social justice aspects to this.
It’s not surprising that a bike-loving nation like the Netherlands would take cycle parking to a whole new level. One of the world’s largest underground parking garages, with room for 8,000 bikes, was designed by Silo and Studio Marsman and aims to transform parking a bike into a museum-type experience with high-ceilings, bright lighting, spacious aisles and smart directional markings. Set under the Koningin Julianaplein in The Hague, right in front of the central station, the parking uses images of the facades of iconic local buildings to create a huge back-lit artwork of the city’s skyline. The project has won a string of design awards including Dezeen Awards Design Project of the Year 2021. Image Credit: Mike Bink
‘It’s a massive improvement when you avoid rat-running through local neighbourhoods, keep cars on the main roads and have neighbourhood streets for people, so they are only accessed by people who live there or need to go there. If you put in bollards or planters, drivers have to take the long way round, which is a nudge towards more cycling and walking. Sustrans is not trying to get rid of cars, just to ditch them for short journeys. What people really want is cleaner air, more opportunities for children to play outside, to get to know their neighbours and have better mental health.’
The evidence that better cycle facilities are worker-driven can be seen in the active commuter park (ACP) at 22 Bishopsgate, which includes 1,700 bike spaces, 75 showers, bike maintenance and washing stations, Brompton bike rental dock and over 1,300 secure lockers, all designed to make cycling, walking, or running to work easier. Also featuring a gym, climbing wall and wellbeing space, owner AXA IM Alts created 22 Bishopsgate as a “people-focused workplace
destination” that can accommodate up to 12,000 people, with the intention of promoting productivity and creativity by emphasising wellbeing. “It will be the first major London building to embody the structural and cultural shifts in how
people work and live,” the company says. Image Credit: Martin Richardson Images And Riverfilm
Yet many of these schemes are hugely unpopular, with complaints of gridlock and pollution in nearby streets, and delays to emergency vehicles. While chancellor, Sunak weighed in on the debate, promising to ‘stop the war on motorists’ and review LTNs if he became prime minister. ‘The UK is a passionate driving nation because driving provides freedom,’ he said. ‘We need to stop making life difficult for the vast majority of people across the UK who rely on a car as their primary source of transport to healthcare, employment and other essential day-to-day things.’ With more than 755,098 fines worth nearly £33.6m issued by London councils in a year for drivers straying into the zones, there are many motorists who would raise a cheer to see the back of them. Other countries, with deeper pockets, manage to keep everyone happy with overpasses, such as Copenhagen’s famous Bicycle Snake by Dissing+Weitling, providing space for cyclists without taking it away from motorists, but there are no signs of these coming to the UK.
A new protected cycleway at Garscube Road in Glasgow was one of the initial successes that has prompted Glasgow City Council to approve plans for a £475m active travel network across the city with up to 270km of new cycleways along main roads. Reducing vehicle space on Garscube Road provided room for improved public realm, better bus stops and segregated paths for cycling. The aim is that anyone who cycles will be able to reach most of the city within 30 minutes and almost all of the city within an hour, providing “a viable alternative for the millions of car journeys that are less than three kilometres” in the city. Image Credit: Chris Mcnulty, Courtesy Of Sustrans
Trevor Morriss, Principal at London-based studio SPPARC, understands motorists’ frustration: ‘When you start taking things away from people who have used them for years it’s always controversial and there’s a backlash. But if people thought a bit more about the greater good than the three-minute delay to their car journey, everyone would benefit.’ Nonetheless, the ferocity of that backlash means that some councils have ripped out their LTNs almost as soon as the concrete has dried – Wiltshire Council spent £412,000 on closing Salisbury city centre to through traffic but removed the barriers two months later, while two LTNs in Redbridge costing nearly £300,000 to introduce were scrapped in weeks. Colderley thinks that councils should hold their nerve: ‘There’s some frustration but after six months or a year people become used to it and don’t want to go back.’ She cites Waltham Forest, where protestors organised a ‘funeral for the high street’ complete with coffin, but a year on, walking and cycling has massively increased and accidents and street crime are down.
Like many central London developments, The Chain, by L&Q, next to one of Walthamstow’s latest cycle routes, has almost no car parking except for Blue Badge holders. Instead, it features 800 secure parking spaces for residents and free, three-year car club membership. A recent influencer campaign promoted the ease with which buyers can get around the area by bike
Alongside LTNs, cycle paths such as London’s 260km of new Cycleways (formerly Cycle Superhighways) created since 2016, are also the source of disagreements, with faster cyclists often preferring to stay on the roads, to the fury of drivers. ‘The main thing that puts people off cycling is fear,’ says Rosslyn, ‘particularly fear of collisions with vehicles – we need to overcome that fear and the biggest thing that does that is segregated roads. You shouldn’t have to be brave to cycle. You are not going to get people from being frightened to being confi dent by making them go on busy roads, it doesn’t work.’
Copenhagen led the way again with an opening bridge across the harbour for bike users and pedestrians only – making it quicker and more convenient to use sustainable transport. Gifted to the city by the philanthropic association Realdania, the 160m bridge by WilkinsonEyre has successfully regenerated the entire harbour area. Image Credit: Rasmus Hjortshøj
Alex Lifschutz, director at Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, is less of a cycle path fan. ‘Segregation, isolation and exclusivity are the bad sides of modern life. Often we are putting in specifi c cycle lanes in narrow streets that were designed for horse drawn carriages, when it would make more sense to share the streets and have all traffi c going slowly. Th ere are some benefi ts to segregation but there is simply not enough capacity and it results in a forest of signs and markers. And what about Ebikes, scooters, cargo bikes – what are we going to do, have an extra lane just for them?’ It is lower speeds and shared surfaces that he sees as the way forward.
London could finally have its own major cycling infrastructure project, in the form of the Thames Barrier Bridge, if funding for the £300m cost can be secured. The 530m opening bridge would link the growing communities of New Charlton and Woolwich in Greenwich with the Royal Docks in Newham, and could be used by a million cyclists a year
Th e Government’s preferred approach is segregation, with physical barriers rather than just paintwork. Th e strategy document Gear Change notes that cycling on London’s Blackfriars Bridge rose by 55% in the six months after a protected bike route was installed, and states: ‘Physically segregated bike tracks on main roads, including at junctions, are the most important thing we can do to promote cycle use. Th ey give people the confi dence to cycle.’ Th e ‘Manual for Streets’ adds: ‘Th e routes must be direct. Th ey must be continuous, not giving up at the diffi cult places. Th ey must serve the places people actually want to go.’
In the masterplan for Barking Riverside, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands included cycle lanes and busways as a central spine connecting with the new Overground station, as well as pedestrian-only paths by the shore. There is also plenty of leisure cycling available by the River Thames
Iulia Fratila, Associate at Fletcher Priest Architects, has been working on a new settlement north of Cambridge, called Waterbeach, where there is the opportunity to put cycling infrastructure in from the word go. A key part of this is Mere Way, which links Waterbeach to Cambridge city centre and includes a new bridge over the A10. ‘Mere Way caters to cyclists and allows them to get to work as quickly as possible without having to dismount or wait to cross roads. It’s very important to follow natural desire lines and make sure paths go to key destinations,’ she says. Residents at Waterbeach will also have access to a travel hub in the first phase of the development with buses into Cambridge, cycle hire and cycle parking, Ebikes and Escooters to cater for those who want to do the end of the journey on two wheels. ‘We need that modal shift from car to bike or other means of sustainable transport.’
Scotrail’s new Highland Explorer train service between Glasgow and Oban finally embraces cyclists as customers rather than a nuisance, with a carriage that can accommodate up to 20 bikes, of any variety, and even provides charging for Ebikes on the way
Clotilde Imbert, director of Copenhagenize France, has seen how introducing segregated bike lanes can transform a city after Paris introduced pop-up “coronapiste” bicycle lanes, including banning cars from Rue de Rivoli, a major route through the city. It now sees up to 25,000 bike users a day, and 52km of coronapistes have been made permanent. ‘When there is political will and demand, huge progress can be made in a short period to support daily cycling,’ she says.
‘To improve cycling in any city, we must start with the infrastructure which must make people feel safe while cycling,’ says Imbert. ‘Safety is what attracts new bicycle users who may be nervous to begin with and the experience in Paris has proven that light segregation of bike lanes is a great way to show bicycle users that they are protected and send a message to drivers delineating the limits of their space. Of course, infrastructure alone is not enough. Users need secure bike parking. Schools and community centres can off er classes on cycling for children and adults. Transport authorities can develop their intermodality allowing users to easily shift from bike to other forms of transport. Th e image of cycling must be transformed to be seen as a daily means of transportation that’s reliable, safe and efficient.’
Th e whole journey needs to be considered, says Trevor Morriss, starting at home: ‘Even in new residential schemes you see bicycles on balconies, so we need well-integrated design solutions – and not always storage in the basement which is expensive to build and creates a lot of carbon. If people are taking bikes up the stairs we should be designing lifts they can fi t them into and staircases with cycle gutters so nothing gets damaged on the way. Th ese machines are people’s pride and joy.’ While new neighbourhoods are being built with cycle storage, it can easily be added to the street scene in older areas notes Rosslyn: ‘On-street Bikehangars can be put in quite simply and cheaply and take up a single car parking space.’
Storage is needed at the other end of the journey too, particularly in the workplace. ‘Bikes are valuable commodities, so having good security is really important,’ says Morriss. ‘Th e next thing is, once you have cycled across London, you want to freshen up with a shower and put your cycle shoes in a locker. It needs to be convenient and that’s part of the design process.’
Scotrail’s new Highland Explorer train service between Glasgow and Oban finally embraces cyclists as customers rather than a nuisance, with a carriage that can accommodate up to 20 bikes, of any variety, and even provides charging for Ebikes on the way
SPPARC is working on the masterplan at Olympia, which includes a high-quality bike park. ‘We have space for 1,400 cycles and we wanted to make it best-in-class,’ says Morriss. ‘You go up to level three where its fully glazed with natural light and views over London. Th ere are lockers, a maintenance station with cleaning equipment and pumps for your tyres, and it’s fully inclusive so there are charging spots for electric bikes and spaces for tricycles. We have four designated lifts to get in, then you go through the locker rooms and shower rooms into the building core.’
Alex Lifschutz has been working on a project at 33 Charterhouse Street. ‘You can cycle straight in, have a shower, get an energy bar from the vending machine and head to your desk. It’s all been thought through. Casual business wear makes cycling easier, and Ebikes will be a game changer especially in hilly cities like Bristol; as you don’t get sweaty and have to take a shower and get your hair wet when you get to work, which is a real dealbreaker for some people. Where companies are hesitant about putting in cycling facilities as they are not sure if it’s going to be used, we try to put in flexible space.’
While cycling storage in residential developments is being led by planning policy dictating car-free housing schemes, in workplaces it is client-led, says Morriss. ‘The demands for workplace facilities are coming from staff . We rarely get asked about car parking spaces any more. There’s been a cultural and generational change. I see it in our own office where very few people on the team own a car, although that doesn’t mean they don’t drive. Running a car is not cheap, when it’s sitting outside your apartment for most of the month.’
A true cycling city also needs a joined-up transport system. ‘Th e mentality in London is that people must travel either on a bike or by tube but not mixed modal; bikes on trains are seen as an inconvenience to others,’ says Morriss. In the French Alps buses have bike racks, and the new Highland Explorer trains from ScotRail have a whole carriage for bikes, but attempting to mix and match in London is fraught with difficulty unless you’re blessed with a Brompton. Th e alternative; secure bike parking at stations and hire bikes or e-scooters at destinations, goes part way to resolving the issue.
The art installation Natural Cycle at Coal Drop Yard by street artist Peter Gibson, known as Roadsworth, encourages children to practice city cycling in a safe environment. Image Credit: Courtesy of King’s Cross
None one of this helps if people can’t ride. Only half of schools in England off er Bikeability – and then only to pupils who have a bike and can ride without stabilisers, while estimates suggest around 12,000 UK adults have never learned to cycle. Rob Miller, sustainability manager at the King’s Cross estate, recently opened a new art installation, Natural Cycle, at Coal Drops Yard by street artist Roadsworth featuring a giant cycling track that mimics real London road systems. ‘It has been designed to help children become confident cyclists in a safe environment and promote sustainable travel from a young age, while giving kids something fun and free to do,’ he says.
‘Cycling education and cycling infrastructure each have a critical role to play. At King’s Cross we’ve worked incredibly hard to develop an estate that maximises the opportunity for pedestrians and cyclists to feel confident,’ Miller continues, ‘We’re trying to get as many bike rental stations as possible on-site, and we off er free monthly bike MOTs with Dr Bike. It’s all about breaking down the barriers to entry so that more people feel confident and comfortable getting on their bike over other forms of transport, especially high polluters like cars. Ultimately, combining education with high-quality cycling infrastructure at both the building level and city-wide will help get more people on their bikes.’
‘I don’t think this is a passing phase,’ adds Morriss. ‘Designing for people on bicycles shouldn’t be an afterthought that we do grudgingly, it should a primary concern.’
