Whether you like it or not, the River Thames is there, cutting through the centre of the Capital. But what happens when you have to cross it? On the Tube, you might not even notice; but on a bike, it can be a real pain. Here’s London Cyclist’s ranking of central London’s bridges, from worst to best. All images are from Google Streetview.
0/10 Millennium Bridge
No cycling allowed whatsoever – get off and push.
2/10 Tower bridge
No cycle lane at all, narrow lanes, and dangerous railings that mean you can’t even bail onto the pavement if you’re about to be crushed.
2/10 Battersea bridge
A similar story to Tower Bridge, with dangerous railings blocking the emergency exit.
3/10 Vauxhall bridge
Has a laughable gutter cycle lane that spends most of rush-hour under cars on one side; bus lane can be found on the other. Access also involves cycling through the scary Vauxhall roundabout.
4/10 Waterloo bridge
Cycle lanes inexplicably give out half way down the bridge – and Westminster Council is happy to let people park all over them on Sundays.
4/10 Chelsea bridge
A partial, unprotected, very narrow cycle lane crammed in despite two lanes of traffic in one direction – all the more awful considering it is supposed to be a Cycle Superhighway
4/10 Lambeth bridge
A narrow mandatory cycle lane on one side, a bus lane on the other, with fast-moving traffic and no segregation.
5/10 Westminster Bridge
There are narrow, optional cycle lanes the whole way across the bridge. Huge amounts of space given to motor vehicles despite the fact that the pavements are so crowded that tourists taking picture of Big Ben habitually stand in the road (usually the cycle lane). Should really be completely pedestrianised.
5/10 Blackfriars bridge
A mandatory cycle lane on one side and a non-mandatory on the other. Neither are segregated, but both are buffered from a general traffic lane by bus lanes. Doesn’t sound too awful, but unfortunately the actual access to the bridge featured in our worst junctions in London.
8/10 Southwark bridge
Not perfect, but by London standards, still glorious. Fully curb segregated cycle lanes with gaps if you need to leave, incorporating ‘forgiving’ curbs on one side. A little bit narrow so overtaking is difficult, and some annoying ironwork on the road surface, but still a pleasant experience.
The Waterloo Bridge bike lane stopping half way is most probably because that is the boundary between Lambeth and Westminster council. So Lambeth can paint in a bike lane up to the half way point on the bridge and Westminster don’t have to do anything. Genius joined up thinking.
These comments were made in 2014 yet it is now nearly the end of 2016 and the Waterloo cycle lane is still not properly boxed in. In addition the cycle lane boundary lines are neglected and so faded that they’re almost invisible. What is being done by London Cyclist and other cycling groups to lobby and bring pressure on Westminster Council or TFL to ensure that London cycle highways are safe and fit for purpose.
Mention should be made of the appalling condition of the road surface on Tower Bridge, in particular the weird raised ripple of tarmac along the northbound side and the massive collection of potholes down to the cobbles on the southbound slope.
for this reason alone cyclists should ride 1.5m from the kerb and take central lane position
both north and southbound problems are still there…
What about the tunnels?
Greenwich tunnel is great, providing the lifts are operating. I also understand you can cycle through the Rotherhithe and Woolwich tunnels but I’ve never tried them.
You can’t cycle through either Greenwich or Woolwich tunnels as they are foot tunnels for pedestrians, people do, but they are the sort of idiots who give cyclists a bad name. So they should presumably score the same as the Millenium Bridge.
Rotherhithe really isn’t to be recommended, unless you enjoy concentrated traffic fumes and squishy death.
I would avoid Rotherhithe Tunnel it’s so polluted and very unpleasant and that was when I was driving through it, it has no dedicated cycle lanes so have to use pedestrian walk way which can then be blocked by a broken down vehicle.
I once cycled through the Rotherhithe Tunnel, and nearly passed out from the traffic fumes. Never, ever, ever again!
I suggest all cyclists ride through the Rotherhithe (slowly)
Rotherhithe tunnel is appalling. Narrow traffic lanes. Ride on the pavement (rare to see a ped) and you are subject to massive noise and pollution. Also the bends mean you need to brake and lose speed. Woolwich foot tunnel – lift not working when I was last there and cycling is banned.
Historical note: The tunnel was designed to serve foot and horse-drawn traffic between the docks on either side of the river. … The tunnel is shallow, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 36 (2.8%), to cater for non-mechanised traffic. It includes sharp, nearly right-angled bends at the points where it goes under the river bed. These served two purposes: avoiding the docks on each side of the river, and preventing horses from seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel too early, which might make them bolt for the exit. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherhithe_Tunnel
I actually quite like Waterloo Bridge. It is wide and has bus lanes, which helps keep faster traffic away.
My least favourite bridge is Hammersmith Bridge. It has no cycle lanes, and the road narrows as it goes under the arch supports – forcing all cyclists to move into the centre of the lane.
Hammersmith Bridge also has a terrible surface, but at least they’re redoing it (http://hfcyclists.org.uk/2014/01/hammersmith-bridge-resurfacing-and-closures/)
…except they seem to be just renewing the awful messy bolt-down panels that leave protruding hexagonal bolts to cycle over. Hammersmith Bridge is an intractable problem — it’s listed and is a beautiful structure but it is a bottleneck and with a timber carriageway is now wholly unfit for purpose. They really need to build another one nearby so it can be pedestrianised/cyclised.
Completely agree about Tower Bridge. I live a few hundred yards from it so it is my local bridge. It is in poor condition – see the note from Tom above. The ridge he refers to is exactly where one needs to be cycling but can’t so one is forced even further out into the middle of the road. This annoys motorists who are trying to squeeze past. The northern junction is terrifying. I am amazed no-one has died there. The truth is that the bridge is just too narrow for the traffic it carries. It was built for horses and pedestrians in the pre-car age. There is insufficient room for tourists and traffic. The bridge would be better if it was pedestrianised and the northern junction completely revamped.
As for Waterloo Bridge, it is very dangerous in the rush hour going from south to North because it is so crowded. Moreover parking in the cycle lanes is not just permitted at weekends. It is also allowed after 19.00 on weekdays when it is still very busy. It is incomprehensible to me that the authorities think that cyclists do not need protection after dark and so they can just provide part-time cycle paths. After Tower Bridge, Waterloo Bridge is probably my least favourite bridge to cycle over.
Only Southwark Bridge comes close to being a decent cycling experience.
the “ridge” you refer to is precisely where a cyclist SHOULD NOT cycle. its about 50cm from the kerb – far far too close. that ridge is actually forcing/encouraging cyclists to learn how to take the lane, move into the middle, for your own good.
Very true, the problem with the ridge is that if you find yourself forced to move over you can find that it could potentially cause your wheels to slip out from under you.
True. But just try not to buckle under the pressure of impatient motorists – stick to your guns and stay 1.5m – 2m away from th kerb 🙂 cant take the pressure? That’s motivation enough to get fitter and faster. Lol
Idiot its fine for cars and motorbikes ban cycles. mug
Southwark Bridge should be closed to motor traffic with a service cul-de-sac at the South end. a cycle and walking flyover should rise up, making most use of the height of the bridge at the centre, and go over Upper Thames Street to connect to the spine of Queen Street as a walking & cycling corridor right to the heart of The City. It neatly sits between London Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, and can connect to the Thames path along the South Bank, plus a good network of minor road links to bring cyclists in from a wide South London catchment on to Southwark Bridge Road.
Rotherhithe Tunnel should get the bus service restored – and carrying bikes Limehouse Station to Rotherhithe Station (a modern on-demand bus service with a small minibus (conventional buses cannot use the tunnel as they are too wide).
As pointed out, it is the junctions at the bridge ends that are the bigger issue. Lambeth and Vauxhall especially bad.
PS Bike carriage on the 108/N108 through the Blackwall Tunnel is a quick and easy thing to run a trial project on – like DLR. I think informally this may already be happening, and would unlock the opportunities for (the often near empty) buses at night to offer safer ways to ‘cycle’ home to many places.
Dave H – What an excellent idea. Reminds me of the time a bus driver almost insisted I bring my bike on the bus when he must have heard me saying to my girlfriend who was boarding the bus ‘ see you there’. This was on a standard London double decker, but fairly late in the evening. Whilst I was of course more than happy to cycle, the key part of the route of the 108 is as you say inaccessible to cyclists.
Two good things about Tower Bridge. It’s so narrow that even less assertive cyclists are more or less forced to take the primary position. That and the 20mph limit means vehicle drivers generally, though not always, accept they can’t overtake. So, in a way, Tower Bridge helps to educate drivers. The northern junction is horrible, though.
I wish that were generally true. I agree about being forced to take the primary position but that, in my experience, just riles some motorists who will still try to get around you if they think they can do so before meeting traffic coming the other way and then, when something does come the other way they pull in fast almost forcing one into the barriers. I have actually been brushed (very lightly I am pleased to say – but still terrifying) by the sides of cars on 3 or 4 occasions over the years because of this.
I use this bridge daily, sometimes several times a day, and I have had more near accidents here than anywhere else. That said it would be right to say that the biggest hazard is motorists in the right hand lane (of three lanes) turning left because they have got themselves into the wrong lane (probably because they are not regulars and are not sufficiently clairvoyant to figure out what lane they should be in). This is because the signage on the bridge is utterly inadequate too.
What about London Bridge, has it fallen down?
I was going to say this! I quite like London Bridge for going over, it’s dead straight from the junction at Bank all the way through to Borough Market, you can pick up a fair bit of speed on the wide roads going southwards!
I swear I did London Bridge! I must have forgotten to do it in the final version. I will amend in a moment
At London bridge, the approach past Borough Market and southwark cathedral is diabolical at peak times. The cycle lane gets subsumed at the bus stop at the start of the bridge heading north. And double decker buses leapfrog each other to get onto the bridge while the cyclist are forced into the middle and sometimes the innermost lanes. I’ve had red buses on 3 sides at one time in 1 1/2 lanes. Not fun.
I think it’s still not there…cheers
Thanks for publishing this page! I think London Bridge it’s still not there tho…cheers
I was thinking this.From the North Side not too bad but from the South Side firking awful.
Probably 4/10
Hi Andreas, could you plug this:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fly6/fly6-cycling-accessory-hd-camera-and-tail-light-co#
It’s a rear bicycle light with a video camera built in, I think it’s a brilliant idea and I hope competition develops in this area.. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough that I pledged (currently-exchange rate) £77 for one.
You say that there are “mandatory” cycle lanes on Lambeth & Blackfriars bridges, this is misleading. Cyclists have no obligation to use a cycle lane, check out The Highway Code, section 63.
A mandatory cycle lane (as opposed to non-mandatory) is a solid white line rather than a dashed white line – it refers to whether it’s mandatory for cars to observe, not bikes
Mandatory for vehicle drivers to keep out of not for cyclists to keep in ! Although, as we all know, many motorcyclists and scooties think that doesn’t mean them.
I would describe Tower Bridge as the safest bridge in London! The only place to cycle is in the centre of the lane and even the most impatient BMW driver must accept that you have no real choice.
exactly what i said! its such a slow moving bridge and its so narrow it is the safest one. theres no way a motorist can overtake if you ride properly (eg 1m+ from the kerb)
I agree the only times i have got myself into sticky situations on that bridge it is trying to get passed the traffic on the terrible ridges at the side. The flow of traffic is almost always slow enough to keep up with. The problem is it is often stationary which encourages under and overtaking.
However the gaps running perpendicular to the road between the plates do my bike no good at all. The whole thing needs resurfacing, and the stretch either side.
Wandsworth bridge is pretty good – cycle path on each side is on the pavement rather than the road. Many cyclists choose not to use it, but I find it good.
Yes! I was going to post asking about Wandsworth Bridge. I like the cycle paths on the pavement and there are paths going over the big scary junction as well so no need to get run over in the one-way system.
I really enjoy Waterloo Bridge cos of the views, but it isn’t ideal, crammed with buses and with that horrid roundabout at the south end. Reckon I should try Southwark Bridge – might work as an alternative on my commute.
I don’t much like Tower Bridge, which is my local one, but the 20mph limit definitely helps!
Putney bridge is okay apart from all the potholes.They could probably have a segregated lanes like they have on Southwark bridge.
“Apart from all the potholes” is right – there is not much else – but I’m still not wild about Putney Bridge. Going north in the morning rush hour, you have to dodge round the buses and then swing right across two lanes to make a right down to Putney Bridge tube and the cut-through past Hurlingham. Going south in the evening is better as the bus lane provides some shelter.
Southwark Bridge is great until you emerge on the City side and have to mix back in with the dump trucks.
Bit late to this one, but Putney Bridge going south and then turning right to go down Lower Richmond Road is terrifying. I have to do it most days and it’s just not on. I have done it with both my kids on the bike and that’s when you really realise quite how terrifying it is. I just walk over the bridge these days if I’ve got the kids on the bike. They need to sort it out.
You have missed out the Emirates Air Line and the Woolwich Ferry. Both have good and bad points, but are totally safe. The views from the cable car are just awesome, and justify the cost – £3.20 one way with an Oyster, as I recall. Each gondola can take two bikes, and is a great trip, as there is a lot of good cycling both sides.
The Woolwich Ferry is free, but open to the elements, so can be a bit wet and windy in the sort of weather we’ve been having recently. What makes it special for me is that, as a cyclist, you are invited to the very head of the queue at boarding, and are allowed off first. Just make sure you do it at high tide, as the climb from the ferry is daunting at low tide if you are not an experienced cyclist!
You also fail to mention the climb involved in crossing Southwark Bridge – it has been the source of bitter complaints from some of the newbies I’ve taken there, so I deduct at least two marks from the score you have given.
Odd, last time I took the Woolwich Ferry with bicycles we were forced to carry them downstairs and depart with the pedestrians. Wasn’t a big issue for us but not great if you don’t like hauling your bikes up and down stairs.
Whenever I go on Woolwich ferry I get sent downstairs with pedestrians, ok with brompton or road bike but would be unpleasant with loaded dutch bike. The alternative outside peak hours is one stop on the DLR King George V to Woolwich Arsenal.
Personally I don’t find Lambeth bridge that bad, the roundabouts at either end aren’t ideal but at least you’ve only got one lane each way and no railings.
Albert bridge is alright due to the width restrictions, which mean the endless Chelsea tractors have to slow down before entering at either side. You rarely get overtaken.
Much better choice than Battersea bridge, it’s virtually impossible to progress past stationary traffic.
tower bridge is safe – man up, take the lane. even if you are a slow cyclist, it doesnt matter, the traffic on that bridge is always extremely slow anyway, so they can wait behind you like the well behaved patient drivers they are 🙂
vauxhal bridge is ok in itself, its the south side junction that is the hazard!
waterloo bridge actually has a SOLID white line for the cycle lane, and 99% of motorists respect it. when the cycle lane disapears you know what to do – check your shoulder then take centre of the bus lane. all the busses at this point are slowing down at the bus stop anyway, so minimal risk here.
southwark bridge looks amazing, i havent used it since this segregated cycle lane was put in. can anyone tell me if it actually works, can faster cyclists safely overtake the people who are happy to cruise along at 5mph?
Nope can’t overtake easily. No big deal as the views from the bridge are amazing.
Tower Bridge had a 20 mph limit which is enforced by average speed cameras. Take the Lane and do 20. It’s when you get to the other sidevthe problems begin. Tower gateway and all gate East. Yikes !!!
No, difficult or impossible to overtake slower cyclists. You’ll just have to be as patient as you expect motorists to be – and about as likely that you will be. Funny that.
While we’re onto ferries don’t forget the one that runs every ten minutes between the Rotherhithe Hilton and Canary Wharf. I only recently discovered this and it looks like quite a good service:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1131.aspx
That car parking along Waterloo Bridge is barmy. Completely apart from the fact that the cars are then dangerously parked in the bike/bus lane, why would you choose to stick cars along such a nice view of the Thames? Why?! It’s a bridge, not a car park!
“Dangerous railings”? I’d say they do a bloody good job of protecting pedestrians from crazed motorists and cyclists alike.
Agree with Southwark Bridge being the best. It’s also pretty light on traffic.
OK, just to confirm – is there anywhere in London that is safe or pleasant to cycle? Every time I read an article about cycling there, and every time I visit, it looks or reads like the missing circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno.
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/waterlink-way
hope that helps 🙂
There’s some nice places to ride, sometimes they even gel with where you want to commute (very occasionally the waterlink way makes sense for me to use) but a lot of the time it’s that classic case of ‘you’re going there? I wouldn’t start from here.’
Plus, who likes to say good things?
Southwark feels the safest northbound but I tend to favour London Bridge due to the slug up the bridge then uphill to the city on the other side.
Also it’s terrible coming south trying to cross upper thames street and I do mean waiting for the lights, when I used to use it vehicles would sit across the junction causing cyclists to weave through then the motorists would start moving and give cyclists agro for being in the way!
What is this obsession with cycle lanes?
Whether a bridge has it or not doesn’t make it more or less safe in my opinion.
Cycle lanes can be downright dangerous, lulling the cyclist into a false sense of safety. A bit pf paint on the tarmac doesn’t make that part of the road any safer. Cyclist have died on the cycle superway which is just blue paint on the road.
We also know many cars don’t respect cycle lanes, solid white lines or not.
And cars parking on cycle lanes make them even more dangerous.
It’s ironic that Tower Bridge has been declared the safest by some and I tend to agree with them.
The safest bridges will be the ones that allow the biggest gap between cyclists and cars or slow down cars considerably so that they are less of a danger. Tower Bridge certainly qualifies for the latter.
I’ll second that, my closest call so far has been on the cycle path heading west past Woolwich Arsenal, as I crossed a side street an MPV turned left in to me and dragged me across its front bumper, only my pace got me out from underneath it, cost me some bruises, a smashed pedal and a trashed rear wheel. Naturally they didn’t stop, I’m kind of hoping they at least realised that they’d hit me.
Having been past the spot since, the cycle lane is segregated from the road by a line of cobbles, and I think there was the dual thing of me not shoulder checking as I came across the top of the junction and them not noticing that there was a cycle on that extra lane, detached from the road they were on.
I assess every cycle path and only use them if they advantage me. If they are going to put me in danger (or leave me waiting at every junction they come upon (shared pavements, don’t get me started) then I’m on the road thanks very much.
yea what is it about pavement cycle paths?! they are inconvenient to get onto, and once youre on youre normally trapped and cant get off (eg to make a turning) when you want to. then more often than not you end up having to give way to cross every junction you come to. makes it as slow as walking = pointless!
i even had a mini-bus driver honk at me because i was in the centre of the bus lane. no space for him to overtake and hes pointing at th bike lane on a shared pavement…… no thanks, i dont want to go on that, its bumpy as hell, full of idiot pedestrians, a pain in th ass to get on, and then terminated because a builder built hoarding all over it and it chucks me right back onto th road in front of the mini-bus. idiot minibus-driver
Yup horrible things, I’m trying to think of any that it’s actually useful to use.
It’s even worse when you get out in the suburbs and they include every drop kerb for every house with a drive, like you could ever use them and trust no-one is going to nudge out of their property without looking properly.
Any shared path that gives way to every road junction coming out of it is never going to be worth using if you want to make any kind of progress.
And once you’ve taken all of that in to account no matter how nicely you try and interact with the pedestrians you share them with you can be guaranteed a scowl a day for daring to exist.
I agree a cycle lane is just paint. but a solid white line gives the cyclist more confidence that “this is part of the road cars MUST not encroach on”.
when you give a cyclist that sort of power then they will ride more confidently and defend their space more aggresively, this can help aid safety.
i completely agree though that tower bridge is one of the safest because it is so narrow and the ridge of tarmac forces cyclists out on to the centre of the lane. cyclists have no choice and neither do drivers.
it should help encourage cyclists to “take the lane”
A cycle lane also forces you to cycle too close to the pavement. This is not the primary position. It makes people think that’s where they are supposed to cycle.
i agree. a cyclist should never think “they must stay in th cycle lane as that is where they are supposed to be”.
but when they are in it, and it has a solid line, they should be confident defending that space as it is exclusively for them, which theoretically means it is safer. i know from experience this is not the case though…..
cyle lanes are good for experienced cyclists who “take them or leave them” and know how to use them
they are bad for inexperienced cyclists who stay in them thinking they are safe and arent allowed to leave them
I can’t believe that people seem to be suggesting that a massive fault in the road surface that runs almost half the length of a bridge is a good thing as it forces cyclists to ‘take the lane’. True it means that unless you want to cycle in an un-even gutter you have no choice but to ‘take the lane’ but it also puts you in a very dangerous situation when some aggressive car/van/lorry/bus decides that the gap in the oncoming traffic is big enough to pass you as it gives you nowhere to go when they misjudge it. I’ve been cycling over Tower Bridge daily for the best part of 10 years and it’s never been in worse condition.
tom. you certainly must have ridden that bridge more than me, but in the one year that i did ride it every day i dont think i ever saw it quiet enough for a vehicle to properly overtake me (“properly” i mean – go onto the other side of the road.). surely if you are in the centre of the lane a motorist will not be able to try and overtake or even attempt to squeeze by as there is always too much oncoming traffic….? am i wrong?
Tom is right I’m afraid. I live very near Tower Bridge and and have been cycling across it regularly for even longer than him. I have been there at all times of day and, whilst overtaking can be difficult for motorised traffic in the rush hour, during quieter times overtaking can be fairly easy for vehicles and certainly happens.
It really does depend on the time of day, I regularly gave to get into work before 8 and often have to work late too, and then you often get overtaken by people even if you are in the middle of the lane. And no, I I’d don’t cycle particularly slowly . Original point was nothing to do with road positioning, but one just a point about the terrible state of the road, the potholes on the southbound slope extend all the way across the lane, and are down to the cobbles in places, taking the lane doesn’t do anything about them. Also they are just where the bridge becomes wide enough for two lanes of traffic.
oh yes i notice that the south end does get wider and very poor quality all over the road. but i was generally talking about the lanes actually on the bridge. ive never seen it quiet enough for a motor vehicle to cross to th other side of the road to over take a cyclist. staying in the centre of the lane solves all problems in this location. if you say people are squeezing past to overtake, even when there is on coming traffic, can you not move slightly further to th right so there is no space for them to do so?
they might get impatient, but who cares, its YOUR life they are playing with.
i agree the surface of the road is in a terrible state!
Putney Bridge!
Appalling road surface. Breaks up regularly with pot holes a few feet wide and deep! It’s constantly being patched up. Major work due this summer though.
On a positive note the council have done a brilliant job of improving the road marking and cycle lanes on the north side of the bridge. The new cycle lane southbound as you approach the bridge is a godsend…used to have to get off and walk along the pavement there. So thanks H&F.
Still see no review of London Bridge, which I cross at least twice a day, and where I saw a cyclist killed earlier this evening along a stretch I’d already reported for severe potholes.
I don’t know the circumstances of the death but I’ve always found the southbound north end with City traffic swooping quickly down onto the bridge, a brief uphill climb, a bus stop to swerve around and a succession of deep potholes to avoid to be a deadly combination.
Seeing a man receive CPR and his death announced later is bringing home just how important it is for the circumstances of each of these deaths to be published quickly and lessons incorporated fully. This stretch is a TfL highway and I cannot understand why the standard for resurfacing roadworks is not as stringent considering the catastrophic consequences this can have.
I am so sad for this man and his friends and family, and am coming to realise what a lot of political will is really required to make cycling in London the safe natural logical transport option we want it to be.
A lot has changed in 4 years! I hope this article gets a redux as it’s very high on google searches. I want to encourage more people to cycle, and a lot of these bridges have improved. I want people to see that it’s actually becoming pretty nice to be a cycle rider in London. It may never beat Amsterdam, but it’s on the way!