London cycle super-highway route map Meisha Hidayat

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DETAILS of the capital’s first "cycle super-highways" designed to help riders speed into the heart of London were unveiled today.

Two corridors will run from south Wimbledon to Bank and Barking to Tower Hill to give cyclists a "safe, direct and continuous" route into central London.

A total of 12 super-highways will be created before the 2012 Olympics to encourage more Londoners and visitors to get on their bikes.

Each lane, which will be marked out in blue paint, will cover between 12km and 15km with the first two opening by next May.

They aim to carry the maximum number of people to convenient destinations at the highest speeds – in the same way as a motorway does for cars.

The routes, marked out at the side of the road, will allow cyclists to pedal through some dangerous junctions without stopping. There will also be roadside maps and the paths will be covered with a cycle-friendly surface to make the ride much smoother.

"I’m not kidding when I say that I’m militant about cycling and these super-highways are central to the cycling revolution I’m determined to bring about"

Boris Johnson, who narrowly escaped injury while cycling in east London last month, said: "I’m not kidding when I say that I’m militant about cycling and these super-highways are central to the cycling revolution I’m determined to bring about.

"No longer will pedal power have to dance and dodge around petrol power. On these routes the bicycle will dominate and that will be clear to all others using them."

Cycle journeys on London’s roads are up 107 per cent since Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000, with an estimated 545,000 made each day.

The figure is expected to be rise when a bike-hire scheme, with 6,000 cycles available at 400 locations across the capital, starts in May 2010.

TfL’s target is to increase cycling in London by 400 per cent by 2025.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Tim Ross, 47,

Isle of Dogs

"Smooth, direct ways are always good, but you have to get on to the real roads at some point. Cycle paths are not the panacea they are cracked up to be."

Claire Goble, 31,

Finsbury Park

"London is begging for safer cycle lanes, although I find it hard to imagine the continuous aspect of this plan will work."

Peter Knight, 27,

Brixton

"It’s great news for my cycle route to work, but the highways will inevitably get clogged with big stinking buses and speeding motorbikes, so what will change?"

Will the cycle super-highway system affect you? Tell us what you think below

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