Bike journeys double in Dulwich street since introduction of low traffic neighbourood
By Lizzie May
Wheelie good news. A study has shown that journeys by bike have doubled in Dulwich since the introduction of low-traffic neighbourhood filters.
Dr Anna Goodman, who carried out the study for Transport for Quality of Life, took two manual cycle counts simultaneously on one of the roads most affected by the changes, and a comparable road without any.
The road with Streetspace interventions found a 94 per cent relative increase of cyclists, while the road with none found that the cycling numbers were relatively unchanged, with only a six per cent relative increase.
Both sites had been subject to manual counts by the Department for Transport in 2018 and 2019, which provided a source of previous data to compare to.
During the school run, the study found there was a seven-fold increase in the number of child cyclists in the street with low traffic filters.In total, 21 per cent of people on bicycles were children, with 19 per cent of them cycling independently and two per cent being carried.
Dr Goodman said: “This impressive increase demonstrates the enormous potential to increase cycling if one provides infrastructure that allows people to travel safely and comfortably.”
Chris Boardman, 52, a former British racing cyclist who won a gold medal at the Olympics in 1992, retweeted a video by Clean Air Dulwich showing the low traffic neighbourhood, and said: “I don’t think I’ve ever mistaken a UK street scene for a Dutch one before.
“A powerfully simple 40sec video showing just how fast we can make things better, if we dare to be different.”
I don’t think I’ve ever mistaken a UK street scene for a Dutch one before.
A powerfully simple 40sec video showing just how fast we can make things better, if we dare to try different. https://t.co/nv5vwXPra2— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) November 25, 2020
The Streetspace programme was rolled out by the Mayor of London in May this year, which intended to rapidly transform London’s streets to accommodate a possible 10-fold increase in cycling.
In June 2020, modal filters were put in place in Dulwich to create a low traffic environment by restricting access to vehicles but allowing walking and cycling in individual streets or areas.
Not exactly the most balanced article! If the reporter had taken the time to ask local people what they think of this schemes and many like it around South London you might get a different response – these have been introduced without any local public consultation, ban electric cars as well as petrol ones and motorbikes too (why?), and merely throw the pollution onto nearby main roads instead. If local authorities are on the warpath to ban cars altogether in London then it would more democratic if local people were consulted, and not just because Chris Boardman thinks they’re a good idea.