Mayor of London shortlists boroughs for £100m 'mini-Holland' programme

The competition will see three or four winners each receive a part of a £100 million fund to spend on making "relatively small" areas cycle-friendly. It is part of a programme aimed at moving "significant" numbers of suburban car journeys on to the bike.

The shortlisted boroughs include Bexley, Ealing, Enfield, Kingston, Merton, Newham, Richmond and Waltham Forest. Ideas in the submissions by the boroughs include creating new junction solutions for cyclists, redesigned town centres and creating roundabouts with protected cycle lanes.

"It's fantastic that so many boroughs have embraced the idea of going Dutch," said Johnson. "We've seen some really creative ideas – from a floating bicycle boardwalk to cycling super hubs – and they’ve all got huge potential to revolutionise how we get around on two wheels."

"Councils across outer London have stepped up to the plate and we are thrilled with how many want to redesign their town centres around cycling," said the Mayor's cycling commissioner for London Andrew Gilligan. "There is enough money available to deliver dramatic change in the chosen boroughs, and make them places that suburbs and towns all over Britain will want to copy."

"The level of aspiration in some of the Mini Holland bids has been truly eye-opening and this huge investment will transform town centres for cycling," said managing director of surface transport at Transport for London (TfL) Leon Daniels. "With more than half of all potentially cycleable trips being in outer London, these plans will help further encourage more people to take to two wheels while also provide wider benefits to the urban realm, pedestrians and public transport in these areas."

The shortlisted boroughs will now work with TfL and Gilligan to finalise their submissions. The Mayor said he hopes to announce the winners in early 2014 and for work to begin on detailed designs and consultations next summer.