Boris under fire for turning green bike lane to Tory’ blue cycleway

BORIS Johnson’s new super cycle’ highways across town are being challenged on the London Assembly. John Biggs is calling for “an urgent independent review” of the Mayor’s cycle network because he doesn’t think it’s value for money

By Mike Brooke

BORIS Johnson’s new super cycle’ highways across town are being challenged on the London Assembly.

John Biggs, who represents East London on the Assembly, is calling for “an urgent independent review” of the Mayor’s cycle network because he doesn’t think it’s value for money.

Work has already begun on the first route running across East London from Tower Hill through Docklands out to Barking.

But Biggs has found green cycle lanes being dug up in Royal Mint Street, near The Tower, and replaced with identical blue lanes.

“I need convincing at this time of austerity that digging up green paths to fill them in with Tory blue’ tarmac instead is genuinely beneficial to cyclists,” he said.

“It beggars belief that that Transport for London is digging up large parts of the route to rip out one cycle lane to replace it with another colour.”

He added: “Perhaps Boris hasn’t noticed, but everyone else is nowadays is talking about value for money’.”

The Tower-to-Barking route is one of the first two of the Mayor’s super cycle’ highways costing �22 million expected to be completed by the summer.