London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone spells out his transport manifesto which promises to put cycling at the heart of London transport policy
Echoing British Cycling’s road safety manifesto, Livingstone has promised Londoners action on dangerous junctions, HGV safety, urban speed limits and improved dedicated road space for cycling. He has committed to appoint Jenny Jones, the Green Party Assembly member to lead his cycling policy if elected and said:
“We have barely begun to develop the potential for cycling in London”, said Livingstone, pointing out that, despite cycling’s modal share doubling in the last ten years, London’s 2 percent of journeys cycled figure is far outstripped by figures in other European cities such as Berlin (13%) and Copenhagen (36%).
Responding to Livingstone’s manifesto, British Cycling Policy and Legal Affairs Director Martin Gibbs said:
"We are pleased that Ken Livingstone's transport manifesto addresses some of the key areas that British Cycling has highlighted as part of our drive to make London's roads safer for cyclists. Measures like redesigning the worst junctions and taking dangerous lorries off London’s streets would go a long way to encouraging more people to give cycling a try. We’re particularly pleased to see Ken’s commitment to put cycling at the heart of his transport policy.
"London has done well in increasing cycling but there is lots more to do before we are at the levels of the best cycling cities . Plans to create a cycling culture in the capital by putting it at the heart of policy, as we've seen happen in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, are very welcome. We look forward to seeing the other candidates' detailed plans on cycling - no matter who is elected, we will be working with them to ensure that Londoners get the cycling legacy from the Olympics that they deserve."
