London's transport commissioner Sir Peter Hendy has warned Londoners to plan ahead in an effort to avoid road disruption during this weekend’s cycling festival.
Many bridges and roads will be closed to traffic from 3 to 4 August for the biggest road event the capital has seen since the Olympics.
Prudential RideLondon, the Mayor of London's cycling festival, will include the largest mass-participant cycling event ever held in the UK, with thousands of cyclists, including some of the world's top professionals, taking part in four separate events.
Sir Peter's warning comes with Transport for London (TfL) delivering a major campaign advising residents and businesses 'don't get caught out' and to plan their travel in advance.
The public are advised to use public transport to get around the capital and to avoid driving in central London and the area affected by the RideLondon-Surrey100 and Classic route on Sunday 4 August, which runs from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, through east, central and southwest London to Surrey, finishing on The Mall in central London.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE said: “This is going to be a fantastic event, which cements London's growing reputation as a major cycling city.
“It will draw thousands of cycling fans from across the country to enjoy the event and all that London and Surrey have to offer.
“However, this is the largest event London's streets will have seen since the Olympics. Hosting such an event means we must close to traffic many bridges across the Thames and hundreds of roads in large parts of east, central and southwest London.
“During the London 2012 Games, Londoners and businesses took sensible steps to plan ahead and adapt their travel.
“I'm urging everyone to do that once again so that they don't get caught out, and can continue to get around and enjoy the weekend.”
To avoid road delays, the public are advised to use public transport and to avoid driving near the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle route in central London on Saturday 3 August.
Details of road closures and estimated re-opening times can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/prudentialridelondon and www.gosurrey.info.
