Roger Geffen is the Director of Policy at Cycling UK, he lives and cycles in London and here is his favourite route across the city. 

Not only is London finally morphing into a half-decent cycling city, it is also one of the world’s best cities for one of my other great passions, namely classical music. I particularly love the summer, when the BBC lays on the Proms season, a 2-month feast of wonderful concerts at the Albert Hall.

My cycle route from Parliament to get there takes me along some of London’s best new ‘cycling superhighways’, through St James’s Park and Hyde Park. Even now it still has its frustrations but it has been well worth the long wait!

Fortunately Transport for London has recently improved the traffic light timings for the iconic cycle link through Parliament Square. This makes it much easier to reach Birdcage Walk by going the ‘wrong’ way along one side of the square, rather than fighting with the traffic round the other three sides.

You then join a wonderful two-way cycle track through St James’s Park. It turns right past Buckingham Palace (getting agreement to this bit took ages, and the traffic light timings still need adjusting!), before crossing the Mall to reach Constitution Hill. This leads to the cycle crossing through the middle of Hyde Park Corner.  Having spent several years campaigning for that crossing as a London Cycling Campaign volunteer in the 1990s, it’s wonderful that it’s now so well used!

You then pass through Apsley Arch into Hyde Park, turning left onto the two-way cycle superhighway along South Carriage Drive. I always hope I don’t have to stop at the pedestrian traffic lights at the bottom of the hill where the original ‘Knights Bridge’ once crossed the River Westbourne! (It’s now underground but still provides the water for the Serpentine and St James’s Park lakes).

I find it’s easier to leave the ‘superhighway’ before reaching the junction with West Carriage Drive. At that point I leave the park and briefly rejoin the Kensington Road traffic before reaching my destination.  I do wish there was some decent cycle parking at the Albert Hall though!