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Following Transport for London and London Mayor Boris Johnson’s Cycle Safety Action Plan, the CTC has responded with its backing for the publication.
Halfords also joined in praise for the plan. Chief exec David Wild said: “We build and sell over a million bikes a year, so certainly welcome any move to protect our customers.
“The number of cycle journeys on London’s major roads has more than doubled over the last decade, while the number of cyclists killed or injured over the last same period has fallen by around a fifth. Hopefully this move will maintain that downward trend.
“Encouraging motorists to think about the needs of cyclists is of course vitally important but we must not forget that cyclists also have a role to play. Cyclists must ensure they can be clearly seen, wearing a helmet is a must and of course you must keep your bike in good working order."
The CTC supported the Plan’s objectives – to reduce cyclist casualties and improve its perception in terms of safety – which echo the CTC’s Safety in Numbers campaign. The CTC also praised the Plan’s insights and analysis.
The CTC said: “The document has improved considerably since its draft stages, but CTC still have some concerns about how effective actions to improve the road environment will be and how best to mitigate the specific threat from larger vehicles.”
The 52 actions proposed by the Plan are in the main backed by the CTC, but the organisation picked out four areas of concern:
“The Plan only promises to support those Boroughs that wish to implement speed reduction measures such as 20 mph zones and limits. CTC believes that speed reduction is critical to ensuring a calm and safe road environment for cyclists and we note that this statement is far weaker than the current guidance from the DfT which aims ‘for 20 mph zones and limits across most residential streets’
“The Plan suggests that action is required to improve road infrastructure and notes that 79 per cent of casualties occurred at or very near junctions. However there is no mention of the intimidation and danger posed by large gyratories and major junctions. Although interventions such as the Cycle Superhighways seek to improve some junctions, individual major junctions are often the most serious barrier to novice cyclists and there should be an acknowledgement of and plans to deal with these problems.
“Proposed training programmes for professional drivers appear to have been watered down. Although the draft promised cycle awareness training for taxi and minicab drivers, the final document only offers "cycle awareness information relating to safety when driving, stopping and opening doors near cyclists."
“The threat posed by lorries is acknowledged, but there is only a voluntary commitment to reduce the number of lorries making deliveries at peak hours. There is no proposal to change lorry access to certain routes or to force all drivers to undergo training. Following campaigning from the London Cycling Campaign and CTC, the work of the Commercial Vehicle Education Unit (CVEU has been partly transferred to the Commercial Vehicle Unit. This Unit will take over the Health and Safety Executive powers of the CVEU, which enable them to inspect operators of Heavy Goods Vehicles and demand improvements in their operation.”
To read the CTC’s full response click here.
You can download the London Cycle Safety Action Plan here.
