Andrew Dismore

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM has today written to Val Shawcross, the Deputy Mayor for Transport, expressing his continuing reservations over TfL’s plans for Cycle Superhighway 11 (letter attached: Letter to Val Shawcross cycle superhighway11).

Mr Dismore said:

‘While some welcome progress has been made, I remain concerned about the very real risk of gridlock, especially as traffic from the M1 and A1 feeds in large part into Finchley Road.

‘Experience of the recent prolonged road works, which have been reducing the number of lanes on Finchley Road, has shown that long tailbacks can develop very easily, and I think that experience ought to inform TfL’s plans; as should the developing plans for HS2 whose impact seems to have been ignored.

‘I am also not satisfied that the consultation as fairly reported, an issue about which I have repeatedly raised questions at Mayor’s Question Time. It was wrong of TfL  to assume on the one hand, that residents who signed the objection petition in their thousands should only count as one objection, because it was assumed by TfL they didn’t know the details of the  scheme; yet supporters of TfL’s plans who may come  from a long way away and have never visited the area see their representations  fully counted.

‘I think more work needs to be done by TfL to see if a better scheme can be provided- one  that creates a safe environment for cyclists without causing gridlock for motor traffic.’