Permeability restored 

Maximising route choice, minimising diversion

A selection of recent permeability improvements
suggested by the London Cycling Campaign in Hackney
and implemented by London Borough of Hackney as part of its 'PRIDE' programme
Winner of the London Cycling Awards 2007 'Best cycle facility' category

Albion Drive before  The closure was introduced for good environmental reasons, to eliminate rat running motors, but cyclists were not considered at the time. Kerb hopping or dismounting required.	Albion Drive after Now we can go straight through on a smooth, wide connecting path. This is what we call a 'modal filter', rather than a 'road closure', because the street is now closed only to certain travel modes.
Farleigh Road before Blocked off with ugly railings which reward careless driving. Dismounting, walking round and rejoining the street was a waste effort and time, and could be hazardous. To avoid this blockage, cyclists used busier adjacent streets.	Farleigh Road after Barrier removed, permeability restored. The junction has been civilised, motors pass more slowly now that there is no guard railing, and cyclists have more choice of routes. They've even patched the ruts in the carriageway surface. Nice!
Navarino Road and Wayland Avenue before We successfully campaigned for two-way cycling to be retained in these streets back in the '90s, but the implementation was poor, with a narrow cycle 'slip' which didn't assist legitimate turns into Wayland Avenue.	Navarino Road and Wayland Avenue after A much improved entrance to Wayland Avenue for people cycling north.
Clapton park entrance before This quiet park provides a useful and pleasant shortcut, but dismounting or kerb-hopping was required at this entrance.	Clapton park entrance after A simple dropped kerb, a little discreet welcoming signage and a section of double-yellow lining makes everything so much better. And it's well used, as evidenced by the tyre tracks in the newly laid asphalt.
Casimir Road park entrance before Another unmodified park entrance. Good if you like bunny hopping, but that's about it.	Casimir Road park entrance after The same simple recipe demonstrates that cycling is welcome -- and makes life easier for people with buggies and wheelchairs too.

"The 'grain' of cyclists' desire lines is somewhat between that of the car and the pedestrian, and being forced to detour is far less acceptable to cyclists than to motorists. The detours are unacceptable to pedestrians too, of course, but they can walk through the planners' neatly planted flowerbeds. The road network should be laid out for the convenience and pleasure of the cyclists."
Jeremy Parker