Broad Lane 20mph plan omits space for cycling

The 20mph limit, and the conversion two way - both on Broad Lane and on the rest of what has been the Tottenham Gyratory - are welcome developments.

However, TFL have comprehensively failed to include any safe space for cycles. They prefer widening pavements to installing cycle paths, and in fact on one stretch of Broad Lane they plan to remove an off-road cycle path that is a link in a major cycle route. There is adequate space there for a cycle path as well as pedestrians and two-way traffic, and TFL's failure to provide for cycles shows where its head is.

There is growing recognition that if you want children or old people or anybody but hardy commuters to cycle in the city, you need to provide safe cycle routes, which on busy roads means segregated paths. TLF is beginning, now and then, to catch up with the concept of traffic calming and to recognize that living in the middle of a gyratory might be unpleasant and unhealthy, but it still doesn't understand space for cycling.

They are, however, doing a consultation on the Broad Lane plans. It's open until October 18th. It begins, you will notice, by asking if you're a motorist or a bus rider, leaving no options for pedestrians or cyclists. Then there are a couple of questions along the the 'do you like 20mph and nice wide pavements?' variety, which give no clue of what other options there might be. You may want to skip the leading questions and go to the end, where there's a very useful box to type your comments.

Critical coverage of the Broad Lane plans can be found at these blogs:

Rachel Aldred (Department of Planning and Transport, University of Westminster)

As Easy as Riding a Bike (includes lots of photos of the Tottenham Gyratory!)

Cyclists in the City (discusses Broad Lane and four other similar schemes in the works around London