London’s cyclists allowed the wrong way down one-way streets
September 17, 2009
The U.K.’s Department of Transport today is allowing cyclists in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to ignore one-way signs on roads in an experiment to see if a similar move rolled out nationwide would encourage more people to ditch their cars in favour of getting around by bicycle.
As of today signs will be put up under no entry signs on poles letting cyclists know that it is now permissible for them to use the roads. The move is an effort to allow cyclists to avoid the long detours they would have to take if they obeyed the same rules as cars.
Contraflow lanes have already been introduced to allow cyclists to choose shorter journey routes. But as the system means that separate entrances have to be built to allow bicycles onto the roads it has proven too expensive for many councils. Hackney Council was the first to introduce the system of contraflows in London and now claims to have the largest number of cyclists in the whole of London.
The move has pleased cycling groups like the Cyclists’ Touring Club. The club’s policy officer, Chris Peck says that they have been campaigning to be allowed to use one-way streets as two way streets for a long time and thoroughly welcome the government’s move. However those who are a little more skeptical say that the new rules will not make much of a difference because cyclists have long been known to make up the rules of the road to suit themselves without the government’s permission.
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