1 Introduction
1. In July 2012 we warned that the number
of road fatalities should be a wake-up call for the Government
to provide stronger leadership on road safety.[1]
We warned that, although there was evidence of an increased commitment
to cycling safety, without stronger leadership, there would be
no progress in the cross-departmental work required to make the
roads safer.[2] A year
later the Prime Minister called for a "cycling revolution"
to make it easier and safer to cycle, and to take the success
of the country's track cyclists onto the roads.[3]
The safety of these roads for
cycling remains, however, a matter of great concern. Despite a
small fall in 2013 in the overall number of cyclists killed or
seriously injured, the fact that 109 cyclists still lost their
lives on the road in Great Britain last year demonstrates the
need to look at what steps are required to make our roads a safe
place for cyclists of all ages and abilities, reflecting the position
of cyclists as valid road users.
2. We launched this inquiry in November
2013 with a call for evidence on the safety of cycling, particularly
in cities and towns. We asked the public to share their views
on what central and local government could do to improve cycling
safety; and on the feasibility and desirability of segregating
cyclists from other road users. We also sought tweets highlighting
examples of local cycle infrastructure. We received around 140
formal written submissions and numerous tweets. We held three
oral evidence sessions in which we heard from cycling groups,
motoring organisations, local authorities; the Metropolitan Police;
the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency; the Road Haulage Association
and Batched on Site Association; Val Shawcross, the then Chair
of the London Assembly Transport Committee; Andrew Gilligan, the
Mayor of London's Cycling Commissioner; Chris Boardman, Adviser
to British Cycling; and Robert Goodwill MP, the Parliamentary
Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport (the Minister).
We would like to thank all those who contributed to our inquiry.
3. This Report builds on our Road
Safety Report and considers the developments in the two years
since the publication of that Report in July 2012. Cycling and
road safety have continued to have a prominent place in public
debate: in Westminster the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling's Group
report, Get Britain Cycling, called for a "transformation
of our towns, streets and communities, and to the way we think
about cycling"; with a long-term ambition of increasing cycle
use from less than 2% of journeys in 2011, to 10% of journeys
in 2025 and 25% by 2050.[4]
Over 36,000 people have now signed up to The Times "Cities
fit for cycling" campaign, which has continued to campaign
to improve cyclist safety and for "a different kind of urban
realm".[5]
There have also been developments in Government policy, not least
the Prime Minister's personal commitment outlined at the start
of this chapter, but also numerous cycling safety initiatives
from the Department for Transport.[6]
At a regional level the Mayor of London has published his Vision
for Cycling in London, setting out ambitious plans for a "a
true Crossrail for the bicycle […] the longest substantially-segregated
continuous cycle route of any city in Europe".[7]
We have sought to assess the success of these initiatives and
to scrutinise proposals for future reforms to make the roads safer
for cyclists.
1 Transport Committee, Second Report of Session 2012-13,
Road Safety, HC 506, para 52 Back
2
Transport Committee, Second Report of Session 2012-13, Road Safety,
HC 506, para 40 Back
3
GOV.UK, Government shifts cycling up a gear (12 August 2013) Back
4
All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, Get Britain Cycling,
April 2013 Back
5
"Second gear", The Times, 5 November 2013 Back
6
GOV.UK, Government shifts cycling up a gear (12 August 2013);
GOV.UK, Successful THINK! cycle safety campaign extended (24
March 2014), GOV.UK, Major investment in cycle infrastructure,
(30 January 2014); GOV.UK, Cash boost to get Britain cycling
(28 November 2012) Back
7
Greater London Authority, The Mayor's Vision for Cycling in London,
March 2013 Back
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