What Wirral Can Learn from London’s Traffic-Free Cycle Routes

Imagine cycling without battling traffic, potholes, or painted tokenism masquerading as infrastructure. That’s exactly what London’s Islington to Whitechapel route achieves: a seamless, 18-minute journey across neighbourhoods via quiet streets, protected lanes, and well-connected LTNs.

It’s the gold standard. And Wirral isn’t even playing in the same league.

A Lesson in Joining the Dots

The London route is just 4.3km long, but it punches above its weight. It weaves together three Cycleways (1, 11, and 13), two Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (St Peter’s and Hoxton East), and the “Bath Street Reversal”—a smart bit of street design that flipped a busy one-way to eliminate rat-running.

The result? A near-continuous, car-free corridor where residents, workers, and families can travel safely, quickly, and confidently. No painted gutters. No broken kerbs. No guessing which side of the road the bike lane disappears to. It’s coherent, direct, safe, comfortable, and attractive—the five core principles of cycle design in LTN 1/20cycle-infrastructure-de….

Now look at Wirral.

We have 28 “routes” in our Core Active Travel Network (CATN) Appendix 1 - Consultati…. Most are conceptual spaghetti thrown at a borough map. Some, like Route 1 (Birkenhead to Liscard), are funded and meant to be built by 2027. But where’s the continuous traffic-free connection? Where’s the sense of place? Where’s the vision?

The Power of Small Interventions

London's success isn’t about billion-pound projects. It’s about strategic, low-cost wins. Modal filters like planters, junction reversals, and pocket parks have radically transformed the urban fabric.

In Hackney, they ripped out traffic lights where they no longer served a purpose, added greenery, and gave priority back to people. Streets became destinations, not just corridors. Outside a pub, what was once bare tarmac is now a plaza buzzing with life.

Meanwhile, on Wirral, we’re still arguing whether wand orcas on Duke Street are a safety hazard or a godsend. We talk about connectivity but deliver painted lanes into busy roundabouts and dead ends. We throw in a few planters and call it placemaking. That’s not strategy. That’s compromise dressed as progress.

Why This Matters for Wirral

Wirral’s CATN acknowledges that the current network is fragmented, often disconnected from key destinations, and largely unsuitable for year-round commuting Appendix 2 - CATN Techn…. The council’s own documents admit routes like the Wirral Way are fine for a summer’s day jaunt but fail for daily transport. Yet instead of fixing that with urgency, we’ve kicked the can down the road—some routes aren’t scheduled for delivery until 2040.

In contrast, London’s approach shows how political will, community engagement, and basic design competence can create real change. You don’t need a 15-year masterplan. You need 15 good decisions, made quickly.

Connecting People, Not Just Points

The London route also shows that success lies in connectivity. Cycleway 11 transitions seamlessly to Cycleway 1 via quiet backstreets and pop-up filters. There’s clear signage, wayfinding, and continuity. You can navigate without a satnav or a map. That’s real accessibility.

In Wirral, we’re still obsessed with origin–destination lines on GIS maps, rather than lived journeys. We prioritise routes based on abstract metrics—noise scores, gradients, theoretical demand from the Propensity to Cycle Tool Appendix 2 - CATN Techn…—but rarely ask: “Can my 12-year-old ride this safely?”

A Better Way Forward

If Wirral wants its CATN to be more than a box-ticking exercise, we need to steal from London’s playbook:

• Connect existing infrastructure, don’t just invent new lines on a map.

• Design for comfort and continuity. Cycling shouldn’t feel like off-roading.

• Embrace LTNs. Cut through traffic on residential roads, not just for cyclists—but for communities.

• Invest in wayfinding and surface quality, not just visibility splays and signage.

• Be bold with borough boundaries. London’s route spans Islington, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets. Wirral’s shouldn’t stop at ward lines.

• Trial before you fail. Use temporary filters and test designs with residents. If it doesn’t work, adjust. If it does, make it permanent.

Conclusion: Don’t Wait for 2040

The journey from Islington to Whitechapel proves that safe, practical, everyday cycling is achievable now. Not in a decade. Not with millions. Just with leadership, joined-up thinking, and the courage to do things differently.

Wirral deserves more than a future promise. It deserves a network that works today—for kids going to school, for carers heading to work, for shoppers going to Liscard Market.

Let’s stop talking about strategic frameworks and start building strategic streets.