London’s 12km Quietway 2 cycle route opens

London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman leads first ride along the Q2 route

London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman leads first ride along the Q2 route

An east-west cycling route has been officially opened by London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman.

The 12km Quietway 2 (Q2) will enable people to cycle from east London into the city centre and on into Bloomsbury and Walthamstow via Angel, Haggerston, London Fields and Clapton.

The Quietway network is a continuous direct and clearly signed cycle routes on the capital’s traffic light streets. The Quietways complement fully segregated cycle routes that Transport for London (TfL) is building on main roads across London.

Q2 connects connects with other routes including Cycle Superhighway 1 in De Beauvoir Town and Cycle Superhighway 6 in Bloomsbury, as well as forthcoming routes such as Quietway 13 at London Fields and Quietway 10 near Angel. The route forms part of a continuous cycling network as far south as Merton, as far north as Tottenham and as far west as West Acton.

Quietway 2 West has also opened, which connects Notting Hill and East Acton via Wormwood Scrubs. Once a section through Westminster is completed, the full Q2 route will form a 23km continuous cycle route.

Another route through central London, Cycle Superhighway 6, will be completed later in the autumn, connecting Elephant & Castle and Bloomsbury, where it links in with Quietway 2.

The new route has been delivered in partnership with the London Boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest. Since 2014, cycling has increased by up to 94% in areas along the route, according to TfL.

The Mayor and TfL are working with boroughs across London to create over 250km of new cycling routes on streets with less traffic. To date, Quietways are credited with making cycling safer at 86 junctions across London. TfL reports that the first route, from Waterloo to Greenwich, Q1, saw a 54% increase in cycling after opening to the public and the proportion of women cycling along the route rose from 29% to 35%.

A further three routes have recently opened:

• Q5, connecting Oval and Clapham Common
• Q15, connecting Belgravia and Earl’s Court
• Q3, connecting Gladstone Park and Kilburn Station

Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “We’re striving to get as many people as possible walking and cycling in the capital. Creating these Quietway routes to build a genuinely London-wide network is vital to give more Londoners the confidence to take to two wheels.

“An amazing 730,000 trips are made by bike in the capital every day and I look forward to building on that further through the Quietway routes, which have already helped to boost the numbers cycling in our city. Our focus is on ensuring that Quietways are high-quality, with low traffic volumes and speeds, enabling all ages and abilities to enjoy cycling.

Ben Plowden, TfL’s Director of Strategy and Network Development, said: “London has seen a boom in the numbers of people choosing to walk and cycle and new routes such as these are essential to encouraging more people out of their cars and onto their bikes. Cycling improves health, reduces congestion and helps to cleans up London’s toxic air. We will continue to work closely with the boroughs so even more Londoners can take advantage of the many benefits of cycling.”

A further route through central London, Cycle Superhighway 6, will be completed later in the autumn, connecting Elephant & Castle and Bloomsbury, where it links in with Quietway 2.

TfL is also working with the boroughs to improve cyclist and pedestrian access and reduce road danger at number of key junctions across the capital.

TfL’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme provides a further opportunity for boroughs to bid for funding to deliver long-term projects that encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport, in line with the Mayor’s Healthy Streets Approach.The programme will provide grants of between £1m and £10m for a wide range of community-supported projects, which could include the creation of green spaces, new cycling infrastructure, redesigned junctions and the widening of walking routes to improve access to local shops, businesses and public transport.