Get cars and buses out of Park Lane, says Boris Johnson
PLANS to turn Park Lane into a pedestrianised boulevard lined with restaurants and shops were revealed today.
Traffic from Hyde Park Corner to Marble Arch would travel through a tunnel, releasing the land for "development and green space". The plan would be funded by new tenants in the pedestrianised precinct.
The proposals, in a document entitled Way To Go, are part of Mayor Boris Johnson's vision for London's roads and public transport.
Introducing the plans, Mr Johnson's director for transport, Kulveer Ranger, said: "Park Lane looks like part of a race track [but] it's supposed to be one of our premier roads. It could evolve into a boulevard and would be self-financing."
Also included in the Mayor's document are ambitious plans for 12 major cycle routes into central London, lifting restrictions against cyclists in the majority of the Royal Parks and a proposal to convert part of the Victoria Embankment into a cycle lane.
Mr Johnson added that it was an "utter disgrace" there was not one already.
A cycle hire scheme, similar to the Vélib in Paris, will be introduced with between 6,000 and 10,000 bikes available by 2010. Mr Ranger said the bikes' design and a credit card deposit would deter thieves.
Mr Johnson denied there was a hierarchy of forms of transport and said: "I believe that the cycle-ised city is the civilized city but I want to reassure motorists and pedestrians that City Hall has not been captured by militant cyclists. With the right mix of policies we can reduce congestion, reduce emissions and reduce the overall stress levels of the public.
"If you start the day crammed into a Tube carriage with a stranger's armpit in your face, chances are it is going to get you off to a bad start.
"If you have to squeeze your way onto your evening bus through a crowd of swearing, fighting children, chances are you will take that stress into your evening."
Mr Johnson admitted some schemes such as the pedestrianisation of Parliament Square and the extension of the DLR could be scrapped in the new Transport for London business plan which is due to be ratified today.