For those cycling in, around or across London a network of cycleways called the London Cycle Network exists within the London Metropolitan Area as well as an emerging network of "Cycle Superhighways". Also a number of national and international cycling routes pass through, or originate in, London.
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The number of regions for the London Cycle Network maps has recently been reduced from 19 to 14, and the new cycling guides cover the following regions (in order):
These cycleways are maintained by Transport for London (TfL) and maps are available on request from the TfL website or over the phone at +44 20 7222 1234.
When the London Cycle Network was created, some routes were signposted with route numbers, however many of the route numbers got renumbered at least once, and a map is found with London Cycle Network route numbers, it may well not match up with the route numbers displayed on direction signs.
12 new bicycle routes, dubbed Cycle Superhighways, were announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken Livingstone,[1] with the aim of creating continuous routes into central London by the end of 2012.
As of 2010[update] the first two routes, CS3 (Barking to Tower Gateway) and CS7 (Merton to the City), are operational; the others are now scheduled to all be completed by 2015.[2]
On 19 July 2011 the Mayor's office announced the opening of two more cycle superhighways, CS2 from Bow to Aldgate and CS8 from Westminster to Wandsworth.[3] CS2 was originally being planned to extend as far as Ilford, but was met with opposition by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales. Blaming enough roadworks already on Stratford High Street, Sir Robin Wales made the decision to block the route from entering Newham on the grounds of cyclists' safety. The route now ends abruptly part-way around the A12/A13 roundabout, with various cycling lobby groups and bloggers citing this as particularly dangerous.
All 12 routes have been mapped.[4] They are:
The London Cycling Campaign proposed a manifesto concerning safety, cycle priority and junction design along the Superhighways.[6] The new Mayor Boris Johnson declined to sign it, but said that TfL would take stakeholders' views into account.[7]
Three National Cycle Network routes pass through London. These are the NCR 1 (Dover to Shetland), NCR 4 (London to Fishguard) and NCR 21 (Greenwich to Pevensey).
Two EuroVelo routes pass through London. These are EuroVelo 2 (dubbed the Capitals' Route, running from Ireland to Moscow) and EuroVelo 5 (the Via Romea Francigena, running from London to Rome).
Other international routes include the Avenue Verte route which runs between London and Paris. The Avenue Verte follows the NCR 21 for much of the way out of London and crosses the English Channel via the Newhaven – Dieppe ferry.