Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Bicycling

London’s Protected Bike Lanes Move People 5 Times More Efficiently Than Car Lanes

A 2014 artist’s rendering of Blackfriars Junction, immediately west of Upper Thames Street, after protected bike lane installation.

PlacesForBikes is a PeopleForBikes program to help U.S. communities build better biking, faster. You can follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook or sign up for their weekly news digest about building all-ages biking networks.

Leave it to a Brit to deliver a mathematical smackdown this courteously.

History may never record which anonymous bureaucrat was assigned to field the following question about London's protected bike lane network (known there as "cycle superhighways") submitted to the public agency Transport for London:

Prior to the introduction of cycle superhighway, certain claims were made by TfL on the impact on traffic on Upper Thames St. Congestion now seems to be worse than predicted. Please supply any data or reports on the prediction v. reality. If no analysis has been done, please let me know if it will be and if not, why not. Thank you.

The bureaucrat found while looking up the data for this question that some auto speeds (especially the eastbound evening rush hour) were indeed slower than first modeled, while others (the westbound morning rush hour -- so, in most cases the same commuters) came out faster than first modeled:

false

That's when the Transport for London bureaucrat also dropped this mind bomb into the conversation:

Recent monitoring data shows that central London segregated cycle lanes are moving five times more people per square metre than the main carriageway, with East West Cycle Superhighway seeing a more than 50 per cent increase the total mileage cycled.

Because the person who asked the question, after all, didn't ask about auto congestion. They asked about traffic congestion.

And the happy news from this project seems to be that because "traffic" means people, not cars, London's new protected bike lane network has made Upper Thames Street much, much more efficient -- because it gave more Londoners a way to comfortably move through their city in a way that requires less public space.

Via Last Not Lost.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Monday’s Headlines

Telsa's Robocars Make Streets Less Safe, ICE messing up California, Heat Is Bad for Cars, Bus Lane Enforcement in Weho and More...

June 30, 2025

California Transportation Commission Unanimously Approves Funds for All Recommended Highway Projects

Advocates call the CTC a rubber stamp for highway widening. The body didn't do anything to dispel that notion yesterday.

June 27, 2025

Friday’s Headlines

Mixed bag of news as we head into the weekend.

June 27, 2025

Metro Responds to Issues Resulting from ICE Raids and Protests

The Metro board received an update on recent Metro service disruptions precipitated by ICE raids. The board approved a Janice Hahn motion intended to minimize service disruption.

June 26, 2025

Caltrans Continues Outreach on “Vision 980” for Oakland

Is there still some hope for reconnecting West Oakland with downtown by removing the huge barrier of I-980?

June 26, 2025

SGV Connect 137: Olympic Cricket at the Pomona Fairplex

For the first time ever, the city of Pomona will host an Olympic event: cricket! Get the story from Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and Abhimanyu Rajp, Director of Los Angeles Cricket.

June 26, 2025
See all posts