Brent Council wins gold at London Transport Awards for cycling

Brent Council has won gold at the London Transport Awards 2019 for its work in promoting greener transport options in the borough, coming top in the “Excellence in Cycling and Walking” category.

The winning entry showcased Brent’s work delivering Quietway 3, a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly route connecting Gladstone Park to Kilburn, as well as engaging nearly 23,000 pupils in behaviour change programmes such as Bike It Plus.

London’s Quietway network is a key part of the Mayor’s plans to get more Londoners cycling and reduce car use, with figures showing cycling in central London grew by 8% in the year 2017-18.

Brent has seen more than 6 km of cycle routes delivered in the borough since the start of 2017 due to infrastructure investment, alongside floating bus stops which allow bikes to bypass large vehicles safely. These new measures are welcomed in the borough, as a new report by British Cycling revealed last week that seven in 10 cyclists do not believe conditions have improved in the last five years, while two thirds are concerned about their safety while riding on British roads.

Brent was also among the first boroughs in London to introduce Lime bikes, a smart mobility bike-share system for residents and visitors to hire bikes to get around the borough.

The share of journeys made by bike in the borough have tripled since 2013, giving Brent one of the best scores of all outer London boroughs, while the Bike It initiative has prompted an 85% increase in children cycling regularly.

Councillor Shama Tatler, Lead Member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning at Brent Council, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been recognised for our work in this area. It’s been a concerted effort to make it easier for people to choose cycling and walking over getting in the car. Brent hasn’t received the same funding as some other boroughs for investing in greener transport, which makes the results of our infrastructure and behaviour change programmes even more impressive.”

TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis, which has used data to find 25 areas with the greatest potential to grow cycling numbers, released the first of its consultations last week; a proposal for a new five mile cycleway linking Hackney and the Isle of Dogs.