Statement on improving our cycling network

Westminster City Council is absolutely committed to extending and improving our cycling network, and encouraging cycling and active travel across our city. Cycling is a great way to get around Westminster: it’s fast and efficient, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for people’s health. As a council, we want to make it as easy as possible to own a bike, ride a bike, and walk around our city.

We’re making progress on our commitment to delivering three new cycleways – C40, C43, and C51- all of which are scheduled to be delivered by 2026. None of these routes, each through the heart of Westminster, is straightforward and we have been listening closely to residents, businesses and cyclists. Our aim is to create safe routes for cyclists while making sure residents and businesses have access to appropriate parking and delivery arrangements. Following consultation, we are making changes to our initial proposals to respond to public feedback.

In addition, we have consulted on a number of cycle routes including Abingdon Street, Portland Place, Bayswater Road, Westbourne Terrace, Buckingham Palace Road, and Northumberland Avenue. And we are beginning construction on Harrow Road, Queensway and Lupus Street cycle routes early next year.

We have also made a number of other improvements including:

• 55 new cycling stands at 18 locations were installed in 2023, providing an additional 110 on-street cycle spaces.
• A network on 346 parking spaces for hire e-bikes has been installed since October 2023, providing a total of 3,400 parking spaces.
• 235 secure cycle hangars, offering a total of 1,446 spaces for residents, with a further 17 to be installed within weeks.  
• The first cargo bike hangar installed earlier this year.
• Two new Santander hire bike stations have also been installed in along the Harrow Road corridor.

We have made a number of notable improvements to our cycling network and we know there is more to do to. We are proud that, due to council investment and close work with our partners, more people are cycling in Westminster than ever before.

More on our support for cycling:

• Each year the Ford Ride London festival on Trafalgar Square is fully supported by the City Council
• Cycle Training was fully supported over the pandemic, unlike in many other boroughs. Around 640 people received cycle training in 2023/24.
• In 2022/23 we trialled the Pimlico Microconsolidation cargo bike depot scheme. This now continues commercially and in 2024/25 a further Microconsolidation depot scheme is being scoped for Soho

• A further Cargo Bike scheme was completed – and we are now seeking to determine a new scheme within the Zero Emissions Network (ZEN) to gauge demand. In 2022/23 we trialled a four site Cargo Bike rental scheme. Later in 2024/25 a new scheme is proposed across Westminster, the City of London, Hackney and Tower Hamlets.

• We joined the London Cargo Bike group.

• In 2023/24 we implemented 2 new Santander sites and three more are proposed in 2024/25 subject to detailed planning and TfL resourcing

• In 2024/25, with TfL’s Santander team, we have launched a voucher scheme for lower income residents
• We support the Westminster Wheels partnership centre on Church Street
• We support a cycle to work scheme for staff
• We continue to fund a number of ‘Dr Bike’ and ‘Cyclestation’ roadside maintenance pop ups.
• In 2024/25 we are now supporting three outreach community groups namely ‘Joy Riders’ for women, ‘The Bike Project’ and the ‘Cycle Sisters’ global majority group;
• A new Westminster Cycle Loan scheme is scheduled to launch this Autumn.

In 2024/25 we are to upscale our commitment to London’s Vision Zero ambition which is to eliminate all Killed and Seriously Injured collisions across the capital.