Cycling charity Sustrans has named Hackney as a key area in its campaign to persuade pedestrians to swap their cars for bikes.
Sustrans, the custodian of the UK’s National Cycle Network, has dispatched representatives to Hackney’s parks, markets, and schools over the last month, hoping to solicit donations, recruit volunteers, and raise awareness of its campaign.
The cycling charity aims to implement a Netherlands-style cycling network – one that is efficient and environmentally friendly – by 2040. It has already created an over 12,000-mile network of signed routes in the UK.
Polling by Sustrans has suggested that 66 per cent of Londoners are “afraid to cycle”, which fundraiser Tymon Jablonski said “has to change”.
“London should not be a car-friendly city,” he said. “We’re campaigning so that we can build 5,000 miles of cycling infrastructure in and around London.”
Although the charity’s plan still has to secure government backing, it is collaborating with local councils, including on Hackney’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme.
Jablonski said this partnership “has been really beneficial, a game-changer”.
Sustrans has proposed designs for future LTNs, which it hopes can be “a useful reference for engineers, urban designers, [and] city planners”.
While the charity remains primarily reliant on public support, Jablonski noted: “We know that [public support] might not last forever, hopefully we can secure government funding soon.”
