Boris: Forget humps and make roads cycle-friendly

BORIS Johnson has written to local authorities asking for road humps to be overlooked in favour of other traffic calming measures.

The mayor has asked council bosses to look at alternatives such as changing the design and management of streets and removing clutter, markings and barriers.

The approach is thought to be more cycle-friendly, and follows the announcement that 6,000 hire bikes will be made available in London. The letters also detail the level of TfL funding awarded to borough councils.

"People often report that they don't want or like road humps, but politicians refuse to listen," Mr Johnson said. "Road humps are often simply a lazy way of delivering slower speeds.

"I want to encourage councils to be bold and to think much more creatively about ways of achieving slower speeds, and creating better streets where drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists interact responsibly.

"There are circumstances where road humps serve a purpose, but until someone takes a stand and says that they are inappropriate in a lot of cases, we will never achieve better London streets."