Key points
- Ahead of the May 7 local elections, Tower Hamlets Wheelers has asked all mayoral candidates to back completion of Transport for London’s (TfL) strategic cycleway network in the borough.
- The group argues that safe, connected cycleways are one of the cheapest ways for residents to travel amid persistent cost‑of‑living pressures, helping people reach work, education and local services while improving public health.
- Roads analysts and campaigners highlight that completing a small number of high‑priority TfL‑identified cycle routes would create missing north–south corridors and better connect existing east–west cycleways such as Cycleways 2 and 3.
- Campaigners note that supportive statements have already emerged from some candidates, including Liberal Democrat mayoral hopefuls, who have pledged to “build out TfL’s identified strategic cycle network as a priority.”
- The request comes against a backdrop of legal and political controversy over the removal of low‑traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and associated cycle infrastructure under the current mayor, which judges have recently overturned.
Tower Hamlets (East London Times) April 30, 2026 As local elections in Tower Hamlets draw closer, cycling campaigners have turned up the pressure on the nine mayoral candidates to back the completion of Transport for London’s strategic cycleway network across the borough. Tower Hamlets Wheelers, a local cycling advocacy group, has written to all mayoral hopefuls, asking them explicitly whether they will commit to delivering TfL‑identified high‑priority cycle routes that would plug gaps in the borough’s current network.
What are campaigners asking for?
In a statement seen by London Cycling Campaign, Tower Hamlets Wheelers highlights that the case for finishing TfL’s cycleway network is “straightforward”: many residents are facing sharp cost‑of‑living pressures and a safe, connected cycle network offers one of the cheapest ways to travel.
The group points out that such routes would help people access work, education and local services while also improving public health and reducing road‑traffic emissions.
According to analysis by TfL and local partners, building just three of the borough’s highest‑priority cycle routes would create long‑missing north–south corridors that feed into existing east–west links such as Cycleways 2 and 3.
These corridors are meant to run through densely populated residential and commercial areas, linking central London with the eastern fringes of the borough and better serving trips that are currently dominated by cars or buses.
How are candidates responding?
So far, public statements show a mixed response across the political spectrum. Writing in a joint piece for the London Cycling Campaign “Streets for Cycling” series, Liberal Democrat mayoral candidates Guy Benson and Seb Villars stated:
“Liberal Democrats have been disappointed that under Aspire’s leadership of the council a borough that should be one of the best in the country for cycling, on account of its density, has been seriously lagging and has fallen behind our neighbours,”
as reported by the London Cycling Campaign. They added:
“We are both keen for Tower Hamlets to offer a better experience for cyclists and this includes building out TfL’s identified strategic cycle network as a priority.”
Separately, other campaign groups active in the borough, such as the London Cycling Campaign’s “Tower Hamlets – Climate Safe Streets” project, have been calling on the council to complete the cycle network on the highest‑priority routes to the highest standards.
They have also urged the authority to develop a successor to the borough’s “Liveable Streets” programme, which previously included low‑traffic neighbourhoods and related walking and cycling measures.
Why north–south corridors matter
Much of Tower Hamlets’ current cycling infrastructure is aligned east–west, following major radial routes such as the A11 and Cable Street, which host Cycleways 2 and 3.
TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis identifies a handful of “top” and “high”‑priority connections that would provide missing north–south links, tying together residential neighbourhoods, schools and key destinations that are not well served by the existing east–west network.
The Bike Life Tower Hamlets survey, cited by the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, finds that the borough already has a significant base of people who cycle, but that many avoid doing so more often because of perceived safety risks and a patchy network.
By completing these TfL‑recommended routes with higher‑quality, traffic‑separated cycleways, campaigners argue that the borough could make everyday shorter trips safer and more attractive for children, older residents and those new to cycling.
Legal and political context
The current mayoral leadership has been central to a recent dispute over traffic‑calming and active‑travel measures.
In September 2023, then‑executive mayor Lutfur Rahman announced the removal of all Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the borough, including the only segregated cycle lane on Old Bethnal Green Road, which campaigners said would increase traffic and undermine safer streets.
In January 2026, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision to remove the LTNs, ruling that the process had been legally flawed. The judgment has been cited by campaigners as a reminder that public demand for safer, quieter streets and better walking and cycling infrastructure remains strong.
A Sustrans‑run 2023 survey in Tower Hamlets, quoted by the Court of Appeal ruling, found that around half of residents wanted to walk or wheel more, and almost as many wanted to cycle more, with majority support for more government funding for cycling and better walking and wheeling routes.
What this means for the mayoral race
The mayoral election in Tower Hamlets is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026, with all areas in the borough voting for the council’s mayor in addition to ward councillors.
Nine candidates are standing, representing parties including Aspire, Labour, Conservatives, Green Party of England and Wales, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
Campaigners such as Tower Hamlets Wheelers and the London Cycling Campaign have framed the issue as a test of how seriously each candidate takes cost‑effective, low‑emission transport and public‑health priorities. They have urged mayoral hopefuls to say clearly whether they back completing TfL’s strategic cycleway network, updating the borough’s cycling strategy, and maintaining or expanding low‑traffic and safer‑street schemes.
Background of the development
The push for TfL‑backed cycleways in Tower Hamlets sits within a broader London‑wide strategy to expand the strategic cycle network. TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis, first published to inform the 2018 London Cycling Action Plan, uses a modelling tool called Cynemon to identify routes with the highest current and potential cycling flows. On this basis, the network has grown from around 90 km in 2016 to over 430 km by 2025, with particular emphasis on “Cycleways” that are physically separated from general traffic.
At the borough level, Tower Hamlets published its own cycling strategy in the early 2010s, setting out a vision for a dense network of cycle routes serving all parts of the borough. The document highlighted initial priorities such as segregated or partially segregated cycle tracks on Burdett Road and Manchester Road, and called for incremental upgrades to signed routes on quieter streets. Subsequent work under the “Liveable Streets” programme added low‑traffic neighbourhoods and modal filters, which were intended to reduce through‑traffic and encourage walking and cycling.
In the wake of the Court of Appeal ruling on the LTNs, the borough has been under pressure to reconcile its active‑travel ambitions with the current mayor’s earlier stance on traffic‑calming measures. Campaigners now argue that any new mayoral administration must take a clear position on whether it will advance or halt the completion of TfL’s priority cycle routes and the broader “healthy streets” agenda.
How this development could affect local residents
For Tower Hamlets residents, the mayoral candidates’ stance on cycleways could shape everyday travel costs, safety and air quality over the next electoral term and beyond. If incoming leadership commits to finishing TfL‑identified north–south corridors and upgrading existing routes, many families could find it cheaper and safer to cycle to school, work and local services, reducing dependence on cars and buses. This could be especially relevant for low‑income households and younger residents who are more likely than average to rely on active travel but currently feel unsafe on busy roads.
Conversely, if the mayoral candidates or the council opt to delay or dilute TfL’s priorities, the borough may struggle to keep pace with neighbouring areas that have expanded their cycling infrastructure, such as Hackney and Newham. That could mean continued congestion, higher road‑traffic emissions and slower progress on public‑health targets linked to physical activity and air pollution. For voters, the mayoral race is therefore becoming a de‑facto referendum on how aggressively the borough should invest in cycling and walking as part of its wider transport and climate‑change strategy.
