New cycle superhighways open in east and south London

A total 12 cycle superhighways are planned for London, four of which have opened

Two new so-called cycle superhighways have been opened to connect central London with east and south London.

One route connects Wandsworth in south London to Westminster and the other is from Bow in east London to Aldgate.

The new routes take the total number of blue-painted priority lanes for cyclists in London to four, with eight others due to open by 2015.

Transport for London, which runs the lanes, hoped the routes would increase bike journeys by 120,000 per day.

In May 2010 the first two routes were opened from south Wimbledon to Bank and Barking to Tower Hill.

TfL said the routes gave cyclists clearly marked, direct and continuous cycle routes into central London.

But a London Assembly report last November found many people felt the routes did not make them feel safer and the lanes were too small.