Sussex Gardens near Paddington has some playful new street furniture.
"When it's spring again, I'll ride within,
Tulips from Paddington..."
OK, that'll never catch on. But maybe the wider idea will. A cycle lane in Sussex Gardens, south of Paddington station just got a row of 'tulip cycle wands' to protect cyclists.
The flexible markers are made from waste plastic collected by Westminster Council. The idea is to make the cycle lane more visible to drivers, while also adding a splash of colour and cheer to the streetscape. And, let's face it, Sussex Gardens is a fairly uninspiring strip of tarmac.
The multicolour tulip wands are designed by architects Pitman Tozer, which won a competition run by the London Festival of Architecture to reimagine how London could better protect cyclists while improving the built environment.
Their installation coincides with the London Cycling Festival. The trial will be in place for at least two years. If successful, we could see tulip lanes blooming all over the capital.
