Cycling Campaigners Object Tfl’s Road Designs

Keeping in mind the recent cycling accidents that have taken place in Kings Cross, Transport for London (Tfl) came out with certain road designs which would create safer conditions for cyclists. However, many cyclists have protested against these designs and want Tfl to produce more effective road layouts.

On 12th August, 2014 many cycling campaigners got together in London to put forward their objection to Tfl’s road designs and claimed that the changes propounded by Tfl are not going to improve the safety of the cyclists.

According to James Gower (cycling campaigner and organizer who could not attend the campaign on Tuesday due to some illness), Tfl is trying to bring about these changes to Kings Cross to prove that things have been done to improve cycling conditions.

Gower maintains that Tfl is upholding the interest of the minority of the motor car owners and purposely ignoring the security of pedestrians as well as cyclists. Tfl has failed to provide dedicated road lanes for cycling enthusiasts in the new designs.

The main fault of the new road designs is that certain motor lanes appear to be protected as cycle lanes but then at some junctions those protected lanes tend to vanish. It is at these junctions that navigation becomes slow for the cyclists because of motor traffic (buses and construction lorries).

Many protestors said that they deliberately avoid using Kings Cross roads because they are not sure about the safety of the roads and thus they prefer taking longer routes.

Road Space Management’s Director at Tfl- Alan Bristow said that the road designs will be implemented this year and in around 6 months the work on Kings Cross will be completed. In the meantime they will continue to find out ways in which pedestrians, cyclists, motor car owners etc can use the road network safely.