A report in the Evening Standard that Boris Johnson is planning a London Marathon on wheels for 2013 has brought a mixed response from Charlton blog 853:

It's an exciting possibility, but also very typically Boris - going for the big publicity around cycling, but neglecting run-of-the-mill cycling infrastructure.

The latter view is fully shared by Waltham Forest blogger Freewheeler, for whom mayoral talk of a "cycle revolution" is but hot air. He's equally scathing about the London Cycling Campaign's definition of good cycling infrastructure, which he described yesterday as "laughably impoverished." He adds: "It doesn't have to be this," before linking to this video of how they do infrastructure in the Netherlands:

I've no idea what it would cost to re-fit road junctions in London or any other British city in this style - rather a lot, I fear. But I also suspect that such a make-over would tempt many more people to switch to pedal power - maybe even me - than are being wooed by Boris at the moment. It might even inspire a "cycle revolution" truly worthy of the name. Your views, wherever you live, are very welcome.

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