Proposed improvements to the Mile End Road and Burdett Road junction are totally inadequate and fail to provide any significant benefits for cyclists, claims Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chair of the London Assembly’s transport committee.
Responding to Transport for London’s (TfL) consultation on the review of this junction, which is part of a wider exercise to review the safety of 100 junctions across London for cyclists, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Quite frankly these proposals appear to be the weakest plans to have emerged from TfL’s junction review so far. The introduction of mandatory cycle lanes is welcome, but there is little else that will benefit cyclists. Indeed some of the changes will make the junction more intimidating and potentially even more dangerous."
Caroline Pidgeon’s specific concerns include:
- Reducing the size of pavements and increasing the size of traffic lanes
- Increasing the risk of left hook collisions for cyclists by removing slip roads
- Measures that will reduce queuing times for motorists and force cyclists to wait in between four lanes of fast moving traffic
In responding to the consultation Caroline Pidgeon has urged TfL to reconsider nearly all of their proposals and has put forward a series of detailed suggestions for improving the junction.
She is also urging TfL to even consider the bold proposal of improving access for cyclists to a number of nearby roads, so enabling far more cyclists to be able to use the pedestrian bridge, so allowing far more cyclists to cross the junction while avoiding any traffic at all.
Describing why TfL need to totally rethink their proposals, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“The Mayor of London at the last election said we was committed to Dutch standards of cycle design for our roads and junctions. Sadly the current TfL proposals fall very short of such standards. If we are to really make cycling safer and more attractive to a much wider range of people we should not settle for such inadequate proposals that TfL are now putting forward.”
You can read more here at the Wharf website.