Councils have been urged to use ‘all the tools at their disposal’ to promote safe road sharing between cyclists and drivers.
MPs on the Transport Select Committee today said raising central cycling budgets to five times current levels by 2020 would be ‘essential’ to fund long-term supportive infrastructure and make the country’s roads safer.
While spending on cycling is currently thought to stand at only £2 per head, committee chair, Louise Ellman, said the figures should instead hit £10 by the end of the decade.
Some 109 cyclists were killed on the roads in 2013, while over 3,000 were seriously injured.
MPs said councils should now be required to demonstrate that cycling has been considered and incorporated into new road design ‘at the earliest stage’, while demonstrating local cyclists were consulted.
Ellman added that the Department for Transport (DfT) should support local authorities to ‘make it easier and cheaper’ for them to introduce 20mph speed limits on high-risk roads.
‘Cyclists have told us the dangers they face every day from a lack of cycling infrastructure, poorly-designed junctions and aggressive driving,’ Ellman said.
‘Drivers and cyclists should be encouraged to share the road safely, to treat each other with respect and to comply with the law.
‘The Committee calls for a cultural change across Government, so that all departments work together to fund and facilitate support for cycling. Transport ministers must demonstrate clear political leadership by championing cycling and the DfT must co-ordinate action across government on this vital agenda,’ Ellman added.
