Cycle Safety Ideas Presented By London Mayoral Candidates

Cycling safety was a key issue tackled by London Mayoral candidates in their battle for votes. At a meeting organised by the Times, the five candidates answered questions and presented their plans for ensuring cycle safety in the capital. Incumbent Conservative candidate Boris Johnson said he was committed to provide more cycle superhighways, to install safety mirrors, also known as Trixi mirrors, to enhance visibility at key junctions, and to install 68,000 Sheffield stands for bikes. However, he did not specify the time frame within which these improvements could be made, cautiously saying that if they do not happen within two years, at least the process will have started. In addition, writing to the organisation British Cycling, Johnson declared his intention to have a Cycling Commissioner and a cycling representative on the London Roads Task Force appointed. In turn, Labour candidate Ken Livingstone said he was willing to make cyclists and pedestrians number one priority for Transport for London, planning to focus more on providing better conditions for cycling in boroughs and revealing plans to give cyclists priority on left-turns at junctions. The other candidates also outlined their proposals for improving cycle safety. Jenny Jones, Green Party candidate, thinks that police should be more involved in law enforcement on the roads and revealed plans to "reduce the traffic and slow it down." Independent candidate Siobhan Benita believes cyclists should be separated from other traffic as much as possible, while Brian Paddick, the Lib Dem candidate, pledged to introduce a 20mph limit in areas with more intense traffic and to tighten security measures on lorries.