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Cycle safety debate builds momentum

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What a few weeks it has been for the issue of cyclist safety. Alongside The Times’ Cities fit for Cycling campaign and some of the positive momentum from it, we’ve had a raft of good news stories about cycle safety this week.

The increased awareness among public and media alike has also helped Road Peace get more coverage for its See Me Save Me campaign, while the London Cycling Campaign has also been able to launch its Go Dutch campaign that seeks to make London a more safer place to cycle.

We thought it would be a good idea to take stock and look at what exactly has happened in the last week and a half.

Cycle safety parliamentary debate

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group have been able to secure a three hour debate on the issue of cycle safety at the House of Commons on February 23.

All-Party support The Times’ Cities fit for Cycling Campaign

MPs from across the political divide have backed The Times’ Cities fit for Cycling Campaign including the Prime Minister David Cameron. So far there has been 22,900 written pledges of support to The Times’ campaign with 1,100 letters written to MPs by members of the public to urge their own MPs to sign up to The Times’ campaign. The Times has launched an app that allows you to read first-hand accounts of people who have suffered injuries as a result of the lack of protection for cycling on UK streets. The app can be accessed here.

Trixi mirror installation bureaucracy to be removed

The government has pledged to allow any local authority wanting to install Trixi mirrors to do so without approval from the Department for Transport as is the case currently. Trixi mirrors are attached to traffic lights and allow lorry drivers to see cyclists and pedestrians on their near-side.

Senior Police officer calls for drivers to face tougher penalties for careless/reckless driving

The head of Scotland Yard’s Road Death Investigation Unit, Detective Chief Inspector John Oldham, has called for the merging of road traffic and homicide laws to impose stronger penalties on those found guilty of killing cyclists or pedestrians.

Government makes £15m available to cycling projects

Sustrans and the Cycle Rail Network Group are the two beneficiaries of the £15m award that the government mysteriously made available this week. More details on the £15m award can be found in our blog.

Transport charities call for £100m infrastructure fund

£100m should be set aside to finance cycle infrastructure across Britain, say the Campaign for Better Transport and Sustrans. For more details read our blog here.

AA will supports wider use of 20mph zones

The AA said this week it would support more widespread use of 20mph zones where they work such as residential areas and near schools.

Times survey reveals motorist support for better cycle safety

A Populus poll for The Times found that nearly two thirds of drivers (63 per cent) believe that cyclists should be given the same importance as motorists when designing junctions. More findings from the poll can be found here.

Transport for London to review cycle safety at 39 Junctions in London

Transport for London has issued a list of 39 junctions in London that it is prioritising for review in terms of cycle safety following a promise by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to review 500 dangerous junctions in London in November last year. Of those, 25 are on existing Barclays Cycle Superhighways, while the other 14 are elsewhere on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN). The full list of junctions can be found here.

London Cycling Campaign’s Go Dutch petition and ride

The London Cycling Campaign launched its ”Love London, Go Dutch” petition that calls on London mayoral election candidates to commit to more people-friendly streets and continental-standard cycle facilities in the capital. The London Cycling Campaign is also organising a ride through London on April 28 to publicise its demands for Dutch style cycle infrastructure just days before the Mayoral election. More details on the petition and the ride can be found here. Watch the video below to see how Londoners cyclists feel about cycle safety in the capital.

Additionally, British Cycling has published an open letter that it is sending to London mayoral candidates on road and cycle safety in London. That letter can be read here.

Fiat launches “share the roads” marketing campaign

Fiat, the official vehicle supplier to British Cycling, this week launched its ‘share the road’ campaign that seeks to smooth the divide between cyclists and motorists on the road. Backed by British Cycling, Fiat adverts that shows Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas in British Cycling kit in front of one of its vehicles. The advert reads: “We think motorists and cyclists can get along. We’re not suggesting cuddles at the traffic lights, just a little understanding. After all, most cyclists also own a car and vice-versa.”

Fiat Advert in the Metro

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See also

Motivational talks series aims to inspire cyclists

Hand cycling team take up London to Paris challenge

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