![\"London](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/london-bridge-3-copyright-simon-macmichael.jpeg\" "\\"London")
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London Bridge (Credit:\u00a0Simon MacMichael)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Southwark Council\u2019s cycling lead has said that improving cycling safety is no longer optional but essential, as the borough\u2019s population is forecast to rise by more than 50,000 people over the coming years.<\/p>\n
Around 60% of current residents do not own a car, and most new developments are set to be car-free, increasing pressure on walking, cycling and public transport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a limited amount of space on our roads,\u201d said Cllr James McAsh, Southwark\u2019s Cabinet Member for Clean Air, Streets and Waste. \u201cUnless we intervene, that space will simply be taken up by private cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Councillor Peter John, leader of Southwark Council, Tessa Jowell MP, and Tony Doyle\u00a0MBE<\/p>\n
Cycling in the borough has more than doubled over the past decade, rising from one per cent of trips in 2008\u201311 to five per cent in 2022\u201324. However, Southwark has also recorded the highest number of cyclist casualties in the capital, with 411 cyclists injured in 2024.<\/p>\n
These casualties are especially concentrated in the north of the borough, particularly between London Bridge and Elephant and Castle.<\/p>\n
McAsh told the Southwark News that measures such as modal filters, low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and carefully designed one-way streets are intended to prevent drivers from using residential roads as shortcuts, while still allowing access for residents, emergency services and deliveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncreasingly, people rely on satnavs, which push drivers down streets that were never designed for through-traffic,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want longer, strategic journeys to stay on main roads, and neighbourhood streets to feel safe for walking and cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn neighbourhood streets, car journeys should mostly be to or from that neighbourhood,\u201d McAsh added. \u201cBy removing unnecessary through-traffic, we make streets safer for cycling and walking \u2014 and we also make it easier for people who genuinely need to drive to get where they\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
While much of the council\u2019s work has been welcomed, some schemes have faced criticism from local residents. A new cycle lane on Lower Road, for example, has prompted complaints that it has worsened congestion.<\/p>\n
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Cyclehoop – Southwark (Credit: Antony Lau)\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, McAsh said the congestion could not be blamed solely on the cycle lane. \u201cThis is a perfect storm. The cycle lane is the most visible change, but it is far from the only one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you widen a road, you don\u2019t necessarily fix congestion \u2014 you often just attract more vehicles,\u201d he added, pointing to predictions that traffic at the Dartford Crossing could return to current levels within five years of the Lower Thames Crossing opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opposite is true when we create better conditions for walking and cycling. They move far more people, far more efficiently, using much less space.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"London Bridge (Credit:\u00a0Simon MacMichael)\u00a0 Southwark Council\u2019s cycling lead has said that improving cycling safety is no longer optional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-384117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}