Image: Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is investing £35m in active travel and sustainable transport, including a new e-cargo bike sharing scheme.
Announced on 29 March, the funding will be used to introduce more School Streets schemes; build new cycle lanes, cycle stand spaces and cycle hangars; improve streets and footways to increase accessibility and remove dangerous obstructions.
It has also been used to launch an e-cargo bike sharing service with micromobility provider Beryl. New e-cargo bikes are now available to hire at four locations across Westminster – Maida Hill, Harrow Road, Church Street and Tachbrook Market.
Fitted with an electric-assist motor for extra power, the council says the bikes are ideal for transporting small to medium loads, such as work tools, shopping or sports equipment.
They are designed to provide a more sustainable alternative to vans and cars, helping reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion while improving air quality.
Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, cabinet member for city management and air quality at Westminster City Council, said: “This considerable budget allocation towards active travel and sustainable transport shows how committed we are to making the city a safer and more pleasant place to walk and cycle, and to tackle key pinch points for London’s vital bus network.
“Improvements to walking safety, cycling connections and public transport priority schemes are vital if we are to improve air quality.
“The launch of these new e-cargo bikes in partnership with Beryl is one of the innovative ways the council is providing residents and businesses a good, sustainable alternative to cars and vans so we can create a fairer Westminster for everyone to live in and enjoy.”
The new measures to be introduced thanks to the funding include:
- Implementing five new School Streets per year – where cars are restricted during drop-off and pick-up time
- 400 new cycle stand spaces per year – with an emphasis on areas with a high demand for visitor parking
- 1,000 new secure residential cycle spaces from April 2023 to March 2024
- 15km of new or upgraded cycle lanes, which will result in almost all residents living within 400m of a high-quality cycle route by the end of 2025
- Expansion of the TfL Cycle Hire network in North Paddington with two new sites being implemented at Maida Hill and Westbourne Green, and three proposed for Harrow Road/Bravington Road, Paddington Recreation Ground and at Shirland Road
- 100 new dropped kerbs to make streets more accessible for those with wheelchairs, mobility scooters and buggies
- A £2m annual program of pavement renewals
- Increased investment in the redesign of dangerous junctions across the borough
- A city-wide network of parking bays for rental dockless e-bikes and rental e-scooters to keep pavements clear of improperly parked vehicles, and continued enforcement against dangerous pavement obstructions of all kinds
- Two-way cycling on 20 more one-way streets by the end of 2025
- Bus priority and performance improvements at a number of key pinch points
- Trial new, innovative ways to reduce the impact of freight, servicing and deliveries, including Bookable E-Parcel Vehicle Bays in Victoria and Covent Garden, and a micro-consolidation delivery centre trial in Pimlico
It is hoped the funding will help to improve air quality and bring Westminster closer to a carbon neutral city, contributing to the council’s Fairer Environment target of becoming a net zero council by 2030 and a net zero city by 2040.
05 April 2023