#73. GREY ROUTES. In an ideal world, all of London’s major landmarks would be directly adjacent to a Tube Station, so that people could access the capital’s treasures as conveniently as possible. (We certainly wouldn’t want to pave paradise and put up a parking lot, anyway).

In the real world, London’s major landmarks are usually waymarked from the exits of the nearest Tube station. That way, you just have to hop off the train and follow signs to get to a particular landmark.

In an even more ideal world, all of London’s major landmarks would also be adjacent to a fully networked cycle route, so that people could access each landmark conveniently by bicycle. In the real world, we have to make do with networked cycle routes which pass as close to London’s landmarks as possible.

Parker’s London Cycle Map incorporates most of the routes of the London Cycle Network. These routes don’t glide directly past every landmark in the capital, but they certainly do a very good job of connecting all of the capital’s regions. One possible solution to making sure that people have no trouble finding major landmarks while riding on the London Cycle Network would be to sign its routes with subsidiary ‘grey’ routes leading directly to major landmarks and terminating there. These grey routes could, of course, be marked on the London Cycle Map itself.

So, when cycling on R1 you might expect to find a grey route which leads to Oxford Street. From N3 you might find a grey route leading to the Serpentine Gallery. From C8, you might follow one to the Monument. No problem! Critics needn’t insist that the London Cycle Network should swoop past every landmark in the capital. Grey routes which deadend at those landmarks would be more than sufficient for providing easy cycle access.

www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign