London is proving itself an ever greater friend to cyclists: the great English capital, already committed for several years to policies in favour of cycling mobility, has decided to invest in new cycle routes, involving the city's more peripheral areas as well.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that additional funds will be allocated for the construction of six cycle routes crossing nine of the city's neighbourhoods — routes with high cycling potential but currently lacking dedicated infrastructure. In total, it has been decided to invest £142 million (equivalent to approximately 160 million euros) in projects that, as well as improving cycling mobility in London, will also bring benefits for pedestrians.

"I've made a commitment to invest record sums to make cycling easier and safer for Londoners and I'm pleased that work has finally begun to design the new generation of high-quality cycle routes crossing London," Khan comments, adding: "Working together with the boroughs we are creating new routes both inside and outside London, including areas previously excluded from serious investment in cycling infrastructure."

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The new cycle path projects should contribute to the creation of a high-quality cycling network, starting from the study of design itself, which is expected to influence the next generation of cycle routes both inside and outside the city of London. The six planned routes will cross London from Tottenham in the north towards Peckham in the south, and from Barking in the east towards Willesden Junction in the west.

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The cycle lanes, which cover a total of thirty-six kilometres, were developed using the strategic cycling analysis plan produced by Transport for London, the English capital's public transport authority, which identified how to build cycling infrastructure to facilitate the growth in the number of cyclists.

The project forms part of the ambitions of Mayor Sadiq Khan, who would like, by 2041, for eighty per cent of journeys to be made by bicycle, on foot or by public transport. A significant development for a metropolis like London where, as far back as 2016, cycling mobility had already managed to increase by ten per cent.