Two new cycle superhighways will cause more traffic misery, says TfL

A new cycle superhighway and the extension to another will increase the amount of time other road users spend locked in traffic jams, engineers have revealed.

A report prepared for Transport for London’s finance and policy committee warns that while both routes will make cycling safer, they will have “negative impacts” on other traffic, pushing it above capacity at strategic points.

Cycle superhighway 5 will stretch nine kilometres between Victoria to New Cross Gate in south London, passing through highly-congested Vauxhall and Camberwell.

An extension to cycle superhighway 2 will cover two kilometres from Bow Roundabout to Stratford town centre. Both due for completion this year, the blue routes feature segregated cycle lanes banned to other traffic and “early start” facilities for cyclists.

According to the report however, traffic on Vauxhall Bridge Road — a key route for motorists avoiding the congestion charge zone — will be affected by the removal of traffic lanes in both directions to make new two-metre-wide cycle lanes.

As a result, say engineers, the “degree of saturation” on all approaches to the junction at Francis Street will “exceed 100 per cent” at peak hours.

Traffic at the junction of Vauxhall Bridge Road, Millbank and Grosvenor Road will be affected by the cyclist-only lanes and other changes. Parts of this junction are already above capacity, and the new scheme will have a “negative impact on junction operation”.

Concerns over the extension to route two focus on the impact on the junction of three roads — Stratford High Street, Warton Road and Rick Roberts Way. The proposals will “impact upon capacity” with “higher queues”.

The report says that where possible, impacts on other road-users have been “mitigated”. The AA said the schemes will create “unwelcome additional traffic delay to all traffic including buses”. Adding the two new routes will cost £15.7 million, bringing the total cost of cycle superhighways to date to £53.6 million.

The report says the Mayor’s transport strategy contains an “ambitious target” to increase cycling numbers.