London is in the midst of a cycling revolution. With a Cycleway network that’s surpassed 400 kilometres, the capital city now boasts bike lanes that are officially longer than the London Underground.
Zag turns to London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman to hear where the capital’s cycling future is headed under his leadership.
Zag Daily: The number of cycling deaths dropped 40% in London in 2023 compared with the 2010-14 baseline, despite cycle journeys increasing. What has been the biggest driver of this reduction?
Will Norman: “There is no single driver of this. The changes in London have been very clear thanks to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s, political commitment from the outset. I refer to his Healthy Streets approach and his Vision Zero goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041. That was a 25-year project when we set out on it which is ambitious given the scale and complexity of London. What has made the difference in London is the fact that Vision Zero is a system change. It’s a series of changes that need to happen.”
Zag Daily: What are those necessary changes?
Will Norman: “Firstly, the creation of safer streets. That means the bike lanes, the dangerous junctions, new crossings, low traffic neighbourhoods and school streets – the actual physical changes happening on the ground including the massive expansion of the cycle network. The second piece is safer speeds. How do we make speeds safer in London? We know that if you’re hit by someone doing 30 mph you’re five times more likely to get killed than if you’re hit by someone doing 20 mph. We’ve been working with London’s boroughs to bring in these changes, and 52% of London’s roads are now 20mph. On TfL’s roads this has resulted in a 25% drop in fatalities and a 63% fall in collisions with pedestrians.