#10. OPEN ALL HOURS. A London Cycle Map accompanied by trails of road markings on the London Cycle Network would enable people to ride from anywhere to anywhere in the capital by following just a few coloured routes, just like on the Tube.
But unlike on the Tube, the cycle network would never close. With streetlamps lighting the way, or otherwise with solar-powered lights studded into the tarmac, cyclists could use the routes of the London Cycle Map no matter how dark it was, late at night or early in the morning.
At the moment, the most common options for night-time travel in London are night-buses (which involve hours of waiting around, take ages to get you home, and contain an astonishing number of drunks and strays) or cabs (which are either really expensive, or illegal and dodgy).
Of course, cycling is currently an option too: people could cycle at any time even without a London Cycle Map. But non-cyclists’ worries about navigation and safety are compounded at night by the problem of reduced visibility. On a comprehensive network of signed routes, people would feel less disorientated and more visible to drivers, whatever the hour.
London looks especially beautiful at night, but it’s a scene that most people only experience through a grimy window pane. A London Cycle Map would enliven the streets after dark, and make early mornings and late nights a joy to behold.
www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign
Comments
Roads look different at night
Roads look different at night as well. Sometimes, when returning from my friend's house, I take a wrong turning.