London’s cycle network hits 450km as daily trips rise

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-12 17:59 3 min read

Cyclists riding through busy London intersection with Big Ben in the background.

By demoduck.co.uk News Desk | 12 August 2026

London’s signed Cycleway network has reached 450km, according to Transport for London, five times the 90km recorded in 2016. The figure puts the network’s physical reach beyond the length of the Tube network and, in straight distance terms, further than London to Paris.

For residents, the milestone means more continuous routes linking neighbourhoods with town centres, stations, schools and workplaces. It does not mean every London street now has protected cycling infrastructure, nor does the headline length alone show how busy or safe each individual route is.

From 90km to 450km in a decade

TfL says the London Cycleway network has expanded by 360km since 2016 through work with boroughs. The newest completed sections include routes in Islington, Camden, Wandsworth and Kingston, alongside Cycleway 62 over Lambeth Bridge and the first section of Cycleway 43 in Westminster.

Cycleway measure	Reported figure
Network length in 2016	90km
Network length now	450km
Growth over the period	Fivefold
Estimated daily cycle journeys in 2025	More than 1.5 million

The comparison shows the scale of construction, but it should be read carefully. Route kilometres are not a direct measure of journey quality, usage on individual corridors or changes in collision risk. TfL presents the expansion as part of its wider Healthy Streets and Vision Zero work.

London’s cycle network hits 450km as daily trips rise

More than 1.5 million daily cycle journeys

TfL’s most recent cited estimate puts daily cycle journeys in London at more than 1.5 million in 2025. The organisation also reported a 43% rise in cycling journeys since 2016.

That growth gives context to the 450km Cycleway milestone: the network is intended to support everyday trips rather than only leisure rides. New connections can make a difference where a route joins a station, a shopping area or another Cycleway, reducing the need to mix with faster general traffic for part of a journey.

The figures do not establish that the additional Cycleways alone caused the rise in cycling. They describe two related trends reported by TfL: a larger marked network and more recorded cycle journeys across the capital.

New links across the capital

Among the latest schemes, Islington has gained about 4km through extensions to C23 and C20, creating links to Cycleway 1 and Cycleway 27. Camden has added a 2.5km route between Camden Town and King’s Cross, while a 1.6km connection now links Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common.

In south-west London, Cycleway 29 has been extended by 0.5km on Ewell Road in Kingston, with segregated tracks on the corridor between Tolworth and Surbiton. The completed Cycleway 62 crossing at Lambeth Bridge adds a north-south Thames connection and forms part of junction changes on both sides of the bridge.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said the expansion had made it easier and safer for Londoners to cycle for everyday journeys. Helen Cansick, TfL’s Head of Healthy Streets and Investment, said the network had been built through long-term work with boroughs and was intended to connect people with the places they need to reach.

Harrow and Paddington projects are still to come

TfL says boroughs are expected to complete further projects later this year, including Harrow’s first Cycleway: a 4.5km route between Harrow and Pinner. A 0.7km extension of Cycleway 3 along Westbourne Terrace near Paddington station in Westminster is also under construction.

TfL’s release contains an apparent date inconsistency: it is dated August 2026, while its notes describe the 450km network milestone as having been reached in 2025. The reported route length, decade comparison and daily-journey figure are attributed to TfL.

Source: Transport for London Press Releases

Context & actions About this article

Source check How this was checked

This article attributes the network and journey figures to Transport for London and flags a date inconsistency in the release notes.

Checks

Confirmed TfL’s stated network growth from 90km in 2016 to 450km.
Checked the reported estimate of more than 1.5 million daily cycle journeys in 2025.
Matched the named new and extended routes with the locations listed by TfL.
Noted that the release date and a milestone date in its editor’s notes do not fully align.

Transport for London press release Check independent coverage