City Cyclists response to Local Implementation Plan (LIP)

The requirement for each of London's 33 local authorities to draw up a transport plan called a LIP covering 2006-11 was a key part to the return of a Londonwide level of local government: it is supposed to enable the Mayor to co-ordinate transport across the capital as he gives the plans final approval.

The City's LIP has now been approved by all the City committees it has gone too, however is running half a year behind schedule. The main point of public contention concerned changes to car parking, due to the tiny minority of people who live in the City yet are still attatched to their cars: this was partly responsible for the delays. TfL, commenting on the draft, stated that the improvements were particularly needed in relation to cycling and sustainable travel promotion & planning.

Click on image above to open our response in a new window: pdf file 750Kb

Some of the major points raised by City Cyclists included:

1. Targets - the City should adopt challenging targets, with a target of 18% for cycling's modal share by 2010 being appropriate, achievable given existing 10% share (15% during peak hours)
2. Road Safety - adopt the Road Danger Reduction Charter, introduce 20mph zones (discussions ongoing).
3. Permeability - in particular two-way cycling on all streets being a principle as opposed to an exception
4. Business bike pools - plus travel planning and training for potential cyclists
5. Cycle Parking - the proposal for just 75 new cycle spaces per year is utterly inadequate since there is substantial unmet demand. Secure parking particularly at mainline rail stations should be a priority.
6. Taxi Study - There is a need for a study into the impact and efficiency of taxis in the City. On routes such as Fleet Street they make up 50% of traffic despite often being empty.
7. Street scene - The benefits need to be felt on main routes, not just quiet streets. Currently s106 contributions from developers tend to lead to localised improvements on back streets such as Shoe Lane by new developments and neglect main routes like Fleet Street.
8. Cycle Routes - rather than simply "official" cycle routes the City needs to consider the following categories: separately signed routes; sections where cycle facilities such as lanes are justified by motor vehicle flows/speeds; area treatments; and one-way exceptions.

Our response also provides our feedback for longer term planning such as the Local Development Framework that the City is now consulting on too. This is a new type of planning policy document that the Government requires all local authorities to have. Discussions are ongoing so comments are welcome.

You can view the consultation copy of the City's LIP here and TfL has more, somewhat technical, information about LIPs here.