6 July 2012
Today, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has responded to British Cycling’s joint letter with London Cycling Campaign, calling on him to keep his pre-election promises and deliver more for cyclists in London.
British Cycling called for Mr Johnson to include a cycling representative on the London Roads Task Force and to call for a sentencing review of bad driving offences. In a joint letter (see below), Boris has promised to do both these things, including writing to the Ministry of Justice.
We welcome the Mayor’s open approach to keeping his election promises, and look forward to being involved in the Task Force. Including cycling in road infrastructure policy is key to cycling being a central part of roads development and something British Cycling is keen to see extended to the Department for Transport.
We hope that his letter to the Lord Chancellor will prompt him to respond to our own letter calling for a comprehensive review of the justice system. A sentencing review is a key part of the justice process, one that needs a complete review for bad driving offences to ensure that sentences properly reflect the value of life and the consequences on the victim and their family.
Martin Gibbs, Policy and Legal Affairs Director says “Its great to see Boris is keeping his election promises and taking cycling seriously. These commitments mark a step change towards cycling being seen as part of mainstream policy making and start to bring London in line with top cycling cities like Copenhagen.”
The Mayor has also confirmed his commitment to London Cycling Campaign’s Go Dutch campaign and has already confirmed Dutch style improvements to Vauxhall Cross and Greenwich.
London has been doing much to improve cycling in the capital, particularly with the Olympic games around the corner, however there is still much to do. Cycling still only accounts for 2% of journeys compared with 23% in Copenhagen and 37% in Amsterdam. British Cycling will be involved in the London Assembly’s cycle safety review to ensure the difficult issues are addressed and more people are able to easily travel by bike in London.
The Letter
