A BETTER PATH ?

After decades of inaction, the UK's cycle paths appear to be getting better. Len Williams learns about new design standards, and what more needs to be done

- Len Williams

I was in urban cycling heaven. For several miles, I could pedal along wide, smooth cycle tracks, entirely segregated from pedestrians and automobiles. When I came to four-way junctions, arrows told me where to wait for the traffic lights, with floor markings separating me from other road users.

What's remarkable about this experience is that I didn't have to travel to the Netherlands, Denmark or Austria to use excellent cycling infrastructure. Instead, I was in the London borough of Waltham Forest. In 2016, the borough, which is on the north-eastern edge of the city, was allocated a tranche of a £100 million grant (along with Enfield and Kingston-upon-Thames) to promote active travel, known as 'mini-Holland' schemes.

The segregated cycle tracks in Waltham Forest are mainly found along its principal roads. On quieter residential streets where speed limits are 20mph, cyclists share the space with cars. The borough's cycling network still isn't entirely complete, and there are sections of road and junctions where the cycle paths fizzle out for no apparent reason. But it's still a big improvement on what you get elsewhere.

The project has, by and large, been a success. Prof Rachel Aldred of the University of Westminster conducted a five-year study of its impact. "We found an increase in participation in cycling, which is obviously positive, and there's new people cycling as well - so it's not just [the people who already cycled] who are cycling a bit more," she says. She found people living closer to the interventions exercised more than those living further away, which suggests the infrastructure itself directly contributes to higher activity levels.