London boroughs share £100m to create Dutch-style cycle infrastructure

Enfield, Waltham Forest and Kingston win cash to develop mini-Hollands

Published: March 10, 2014 at 12:00 pm

Around £100 million will be spent transforming back roads and quiet streets in three outer London Boroughs into safe networks of cycle routes, dubbed mini-Hollands.

The winning boroughs, announced this morning, are Enfield, Waltham Forest and Kingston-upon-Thames. They were picked from an eight-strong shortlist published last year, for full mini-Holland status. All out boroughs will receive cash to improvements however.

The winners will spend the funding on road and infrastructure improvements such as Dutch-style cyclist-friendly roundabouts, segregated routes and, in Enfield, a 'Cycle Superhub'. The aim is to make cycling more inviting for all types of cyclist.

The spend complements an announcement two weeks ago that Transport for London had allocated £300 million to redevelop the capital's 33 most dangerous junctions for pedestrians and cyclists.

The £100 million spend on Quietways development – a central pillar of London Mayor Boris Johnson's vision for cycling – has been welcomed by the charity Sustrans.

Matt Winfield, Deputy Director for Sustrans London, said: “The Quietways will be for Londoners of all abilities, ages and backgrounds. They are more than cycleways; they will open new routes to pedestrians and create new spaces for people. As more people take to them they will help bust congestion and bring more business to new areas of London.

"It’s a simple concept but it won’t be easy. The task at hand is huge and now more than ever we must work together towards simple but innovative designs, easy for everyone to understand with consistent quality standards. The moment is now, this will be our legacy to the city and its residents and, as in 2012, this will put London on the map again as the greatest city on Earth.”

In July last year, BikeRadar reported that up to £150m had been set aside for the project.