The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have announced £4 million (US$6.5 million) funding for Biking Boroughs to create cycle hubs and cycling communities in Outer London. The funding is intended to help boroughs engage the local community in cycling, create better cycle infrastructure and parking as well as making cycling safer.
Thirteen boroughs were awarded Biking Borough status in 2010 with each borough receiving £25,000 (US$40,600) to develop their Biking Borough strategy. The Biking Boroughs have pledged to put cycling at the heart of their local transport delivery plans.
The aim is to create a local culture of cycling with a focus on creating cycling hubs in town center locations or key areas in the borough where the potential for increasing cycling is greatest. They will also receive extra support and expertise from TfL in a bid to encourage greater numbers of cyclists in their areas.
From 21 February, all 13 Biking Boroughs will have the opportunity to bid for a share of the £4m funding. TfL will assess each submission and award funding accordingly.
The amount of £4 million could pay for 40,000 new on-street cycle parking spaces or fund the training of 200,000 truck drivers in safety and awareness of cyclists. Alternatively the money would cover training courses for 66,000 cyclists or 100 km of quiet cycle routes in suburban areas.
The decision as to what combination of cycling improvements the money would pay for will be made by the individual boroughs.
The key themes and areas of development that emerged from the 13 individual Biking Borough strategies were:
- Cycle hubs: Town center locations with a high density of potential cyclists and trips where boroughs should invest in cycle infrastructure
- Cycling communities: Residential areas of high cycling potential where investment should be focused on breaking down the barriers to cycling
- Promotional activities: Events to raise the profile of cycling across the borough
Research shows how more than half of the trips in the Capital that could be made by bicycle are in Outer London&sh;a total of 2.4 million journeys a day, most of which are currently made by car. Biking Boroughs aim to introduce simple, locally focused solutions that encourage residents to consider, for each journey, whether a bike could be used.
—Ben Plowden, TfL’s Director of Better Routes and Places
Bidding applications will be sent to boroughs the week of 21 February; the deadline for bids is the end of March. Funding for the three-year period needs to be spent by March 2014.