List of cycle routes in London
This article provides a list of cycle routes in the Greater London area that have been waymarked with formal route signage.
The routes includes Cycleways and the older London Cycle Network, all designated by local government body Transport for London, National Cycle Network routes designated by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, and miscellaneous Greenways created by various bodies. Most recently, in May 2020 TfL announced its Streetspace for London in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note: not all these routes are dedicated 'traffic free' cycle tracks: most of them also include ordinary roads shared with motor traffic and footpaths shared with pedestrians.
Cycleways
From summer 2019, TfL started branding new cycle routes as 'Cycleways'. This was following feedback and criticism that the previous branding was sometimes "misleading".In addition, all new and existing routes will have to meet a newer and stricter 'Cycling Quality Criteria' in order to get signed as Cycleways by TfL.
Central London Cycle Grid
A partially completed scheme within the central London area which includes both numbered and unnumbered Cycleways, Cycle Superhighways and Quietways.
Cycle Superhighways
London's Cycle Superhighways were a set of Bike freeways, that were aimed principally at commuters and more experienced cyclists, providing faster and more direct radial routes between outer and central London.In addition to route signage with a pink logo, other distinctive features included blue cycle lanes on some of the routes and 'totem' style signage pillars.
History
London's Cycle Superhighways were first announced in 2008 by Mayor Ken Livingstone. The original proposal consisted of 12 radial routes, with routes numbered in 'clock face' fashion however several of these proposed routes were never built, seeing opposition from the respective London boroughs. Initial implementation of the cycle superhighways also drew criticism on safety grounds, with poor design at some junctions, insufficient segregation of cyclists from motor traffic and slippery surfaces all contributing to numerous fatalities.In 2018 TfL dropped the 'cycle superhighway' name from use on any further projects. All the existing Cycle Superhighways are now part of the Cycleways network and each will get rebranded as a numbered 'Cycleway' in due course.
| Name | Route | Comments | Approximate Length | Map |
| CS1 | Tottenham – Seven Sisters – Stamford Hill – Stoke Newington – Dalston – De Beauvoir – Hoxton – The City ' | Was completed in April 2016. This route does not use 'blue paint' and is primarily non-segregated on quieter streets, and is thus more similar to the Quietways. | 7.5 miles, 12 km | |
| CS2 | City – Aldgate East – Whitechapel – Stepney Green – Mile End – Bow Road – Bow Church – Stratford High Street – Stratford ' | An upgrade to the old LCN11 route, CS2 initially consisted mostly of 'blue paint' cycle lanes. In 2016, after safety concerns and fatalities, the majority of the route was further upgraded to separated cycle tracks . | 4.3 miles, 6.8 km | |
| CS3 | Lancaster Gate – Hyde Park – Westminster – Embankment – Blackfriars – Tower Gateway – Shadwell – Westferry – Poplar – Blackwall – East India – Canning Town – Prince Regent Lane – North Beckton – Barking ' | The section from Barking to Tower Hill uses 'blue paint' and was largely an upgrade to the old LCN13 route. Sustrans' have also designated much of this stretch as being part of their NCN13. In 2017, TfL constructed a lengthy extension of CS3 to Lancaster Gate. This section does not use blue paint. | 15 miles, 24 km | |
| CS5 | Oval – Vauxhall – Vauxhall Bridge – Pimlico ' | On the original 2008 proposals, CS5 was intended to run from Lewisham to Victoria, however only the short segregated stretch from Pimlico to Oval was built. | 1 mile, 1.7 km | |
| CS7 | City – Southwark Bridge – Elephant & Castle – Kennington – Oval – Stockwell – Clapham North – Clapham High Street – Clapham Common – Clapham South – Balham – Tooting Bec – Tooting Broadway – Colliers Wood ' | This route uses 'blue paint' but features few separated lanes. | 8.5 miles, 14 km | |
| CS8 | Wandsworth High Street – Wandsworth Town – Battersea High Street – Battersea Park – Chelsea Bridge – Vauxhall Bridge – Lambeth Bridge ' | This route uses 'blue paint' but features few separated lanes. | 6 miles, 10 km |
Quietways
First announced in 2015, TfL's Quietways targeted less confident cyclists who want to use routes with less traffic, whilst also providing for existing cyclists who want to travel at a more gentle pace. The route numbers were shown in purple on signs.The scheme lasted only three years before TfL decided to drop the Quietways brand, using 'Cycleways' for further new routes. All of the delivered Quietways are now formally part of the Cycleways network and TfL have indicated that the existing Quietways will be gradually rebranded as a 'Cycleways'.
Streetspace for London
In May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting need to maintain social distancing, TfL announced a programme of measures that includes additional cycling provision. Some of these measures are described as 'temporary', although others appear to include fast-tracking of permanent cycle routes. Notable routes delivered under this programme have so far included:- Park Lane cycle route. Approximate length: 1500 yards, 1.4 km
London Cycle Network Plus
Although some LCN routes have been upgraded to TfL's new Quietways and Cycle Superhighways, the majority throughout Greater London still exist and are signposted and/or indicated by carriageway markings. Where route numbers are used in signs, this is usually the LCN route number, but on some route sections the 'LCN+ link' number has been used on signs.
London Cycle Network routes
The LCN route numbering used a radial and orbital scheme, as shown by the groupings in the table below. Some routes were also part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network – these are signposted with route numbers on a red background. There were also a comparable number of un-numbered routes in the scheme. These are not listed in the table below.The last edition of the LCN route map to be published was the 5th edition.
National and international routes
National Cycle Network routes
The sustainable transport charity Sustrans describe their National Cycle Network as "a network of safe traffic-free paths and quiet on-road cycling" that "criss-cross the country, linking up villages, towns and cities". Several of these NCN routes pass through London. NCN routes are signed with white lettering on a blue background, with route numbers having a red background. In July 2020 Sustrans de-designated nearly a quarter of its National Cycle Network on safety grounds, including some routes in the Greater London area.| Route Number | National Route Description | Route through London | Notes | OpenStreetMap reference |
| NCN1 | Shetland to Dover | Waltham Abbey along the River Lea via Tottenham to the Isle of Dogs, through Greenwich Foot Tunnel, Thames Path from Greenwich to Dartford | Also serves as part of international route EV2, and was London Cycle Network + route LCN1. In 2019, a section in Greenwich was co-designated Q14. | |
| NCN12 | Enfield Lock to Spalding, Lincolnshire | Enfield Lock to Hadley Wood | Development as the "Enfield Island Village to Hadley Wood Greenway" | |
| NCN125 | – | Dartford: River Thames to Brooklands Lake along the River Darent | Opened in 2012. | |
| NCN13 | London to Norwich | Tower Bridge – Barking – Rainham – Purfleet | shares part of its route with TfL CS3 | |
| NCN136 | — | Rainham to Noak Hill via Upminster | ||
| NCN162 | — | North London: Finsbury Park to Highbury Fields | Shared most of its route with the old LCN7. The route was never way-marked on the ground and appears to have been de-designated by Sustrans in 2020. | |
| NCN177 | — | River Thames to South Coast in Kent | Currently open between Northfleet and Rochester, and between Downswood and the western edge of Mote Park. | |
| NCN20 | London to Brighton | Wandle Trail from Wandsworth – Carshalton, then on to Coulsdon | The international Avenue Verte from London to Paris follows NCN20; TfL Quietway Q4 shares the route of NCN20 between Earlsfield and the Wandle Meadow Nature Park | |
| NCN208 | — | Raynes Park to Morden | ||
| NCN21 | London to Eastbourne | Waterlink Way from Greenwich – Lewisham – Catford – – – Crawley | ||
| NCN212 | — | Wandle Park to Ashburton Park through central Croydon | Croydon Parks Link, sections opened 2016, 2017 but appear to have been de-designated by Sustrans in 2020. | |
| NCN232 | — | Wandle Park to Lloyd Park through central Croydon | Croydon Parks Link, sections opened 2016, 2017 but appear to have been de-designated by Sustrans in 2020. | |
| NCN4 | Fishguard to London | Thames Path between Greenwich and Windsor | Also serves as part of international route EV2, and was London Cycle Network + route LCN4. In March 2020, a section in Bermondsey was co-designated as TfL's C14. | |
| NCN425 | — | Burgess Park in Camberwell to Durand's Wharf in Rotherhithe | 8.1 km route built with a grant from the National Lottery. Some of the central section also became part of Quietway Q1. |
International Cycle Network routes
Additionally, some portions of these NCN routes have also been co-opted by the European Cyclists' Federation as forming part of their international EuroVelo network:- EV2 The Capitals Route which runs from Galway in Ireland to Moscow in Russia, follows the course of NCN4 along the River Thames from west London to Greenwich, and then NCN1 northwards to Harwich
- The Avenue Verte international route from London to Paris begins in central London, largely following Sustrans route NCN20 within the Greater London area.
Greenways
Greenways in London have been developed by numerous different bodies, including Sustrans, Transport for London, the Canal and River Trust, the London Boroughs, the Royal Parks, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, under various different funding programmes.
The routes tend to have names rather than numbers, and many of them use waymarking signs or markers in the carriageway, but there is no consistent scheme covering all of them. Some of the Greenways have been co-opted into the other TfL or Sustrans schemes listed earlier in this article.
The table below lists the most notable Greenways in London.
‡ These routes were developed for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games