Free London Cycle Route Maps

Almost everyone likes a freebie every now and then, but many of them are somewhat "naff". But should you happen to be the sort of person who rides a push bike around London, here's a freebie deal that you actually might find quite useful. And for once you don't have to eat 2 tonnes of breakfast cereal to get them.

This is the offer, just as described here on the Transport For London website:

The routes in these 14 printed guides have been recommended by experienced cyclists and are checked and updated regularly.

Guides can only be ordered to UK addresses and there is a limit of 6 guides maximum to each address.
They're also available from some bike shops, via the 24-hour travel information service on 0843 222 1234 (calls cost no more than 5p per minute if calling from a BT landline - charges from mobiles or other landline providers may vary) and at Travel Information Centres.

London Cycle Route Maps - Buy nothing, get 6 free!

I filled in the on-line form a few weeks ago and promptly forgot about it, but came home this evening to find an over sized manilla envelope had been rammed through my letterbox. The maps themselves are large format road maps, with the key cycle routes overlaid in colours. It was particularily interesting to receive the maps for my local area and spot some routes on my door step that I was unaware of. However it also reveals the huge differences between the cycle friendliness of some neighborhoods and others.

I look forward to the chance to scout out these routes later in the summer and perhaps integrate them into some of my future Urban RetroBike Tours.