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David Cameron tells MPs government will examine city centre lorry ban

Prime Minister meets with APPCG members to discuss safety of cyclists

David Cameron has told MPs from the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) that he will ask transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin to explore ways in which Britain’s roads can be made safer for cyclists, including a possible ban on lorries in city centres.

The meeting had been requested by the group’s patron, Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, during Prime Minister’s Questions last month following the death of 26-year-old cyclist Ying Tao, killed in a collision with a tipper truck at Bank junction in the City of London

Besides examining evidence from cities around the world regarding restrictions on the movement of lorries, other issues Mr Cameron said he would raise with the secretary of state include better design of construction vehicles and greater enforcement of compulsory lorry safety features.

He will also ask him to explore improved design of junctions to increase the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, and staggered phasing of traffic lights.

After the 20-minute meeting, Mr Bradshaw said: "I was delighted the PM agreed to meet us so soon after I raised the issue in Parliament. 

“Our major cities have a lamentable record both for levels of cycling and for cycle safety compared to those of our European neighbours, and it would take very little public investment to make a big improvement in the climate for cycling.

“Following our meeting today, we will be meeting with the Transport Secretary to discuss the issues in more detail."

He was joined at the meeting by APPCG co-chair Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford & Isleworth, plus Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk and Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP for Totnes, who also chairs the Health Select Committee.

Noting that six of the seven cyclists who have lost their lives in London so far this year were women involved in collisions with construction lorries at junctions, Dr Wollaston said: “.  It's so important that women are not deterred from cycling on safety grounds and there is far more that can be done to reduce the risks. 

“We hope that the Government will implement and fully fund the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy which the All Party Cycling Group successfully lobbied for inclusion in the Infrastructure Bill in the last Parliament."

Ms Cadbury added:  “The Prime Minister shared our concerns over the number of cyclists that have been killed and seriously injured by HGVs mainly from the construction industry and I feel that he will now encourage ministers to seriously explore measures to reduce these incidents.”

Sam Jones of national cyclists' charity CTC told road.cc that the organisation viewed the meeting as "very encouraging," pointing out that given the other pressures on his time, it was significant the Prime Minister had devoted 20 minutes to the meeting.

But he maintained that the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which the government is currently working on, needs to have teeth and commits to at least £10 per head per year spending on cycling, along with national infrastructure design standards and the procurement of safer lorries written into government contracts.

He said: "It is great to see the Prime Minister is taking an active interest in what is a very important topic. What we would like to see is that the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy has teeth, with proper funding of at least £10 per head. There is real concern when all you see is cuts, cuts, cuts from George Osborne.

"We need national design standards, rather than having every council coming up with their own design standards - the only people who are benefiting from that are the consultants, it is not cyclists.

He said design standards would rule out conflict between vulnerable road users, adding "you wonder how many deaths you see on the roads would be ruled out by decent infrastructure?"

"Whether it's HS2 or the redesign of the A303, or any big public funded project, the government should be looking to ensure that the Heavy Goods Vehicles used are cycle safe, and making that into its bid process.

"If a company wants the contract they have got to make sure they have got the right vehicles. If central government is doing, that it is only a matter of time before local government does that too," he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

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Dnnnnnn | 8 years ago
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A 20 minute meeting with the PM is no guarantee of any positive outcome - but it's slightly more likely than if there hadn't been a 20 minute meeting with the PM.

Political and policy change rarely comes about quickly, even if it sometimes looks that way on the news. Behind every 'bolt from the blue' there's usually years of meetings, lobbying, debate, etc. Lots of work for no certain reward.

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martib | 8 years ago
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A simple solution would be to start Policing the roads & start banning some of the appalling drivers out there & sending a message that poor driving will not be tolerated on the roads.

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Man of Lard replied to martib | 8 years ago
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martib wrote:

A simple solution would be to start Policing the roads & start banning some of the appalling drivers out there & sending a message that poor driving will not be tolerated on the roads.

Exactly - we don't necessarily need *more laws* rather *more enforcement*.

The message sent would probably need to be a text message though, since a lot of the poor driving appears to be proportionate to the proximity of the driver's telephone to their ear.

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velodinho | 8 years ago
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Nothing will happen off the back of this.

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demolitionspecial | 8 years ago
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Start with Utrecht..
And then probably recoil at the required time and investment and shelve the idea.
Pointless platitudes from Insincere Central

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PaulBox | 8 years ago
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Go easy on the bloke, he's busy trying to get the hunting ban reversed. These things must be prioritised...  102

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RichOnABike | 8 years ago
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He's very good at promising to talk to people and looking at things, isn't he

Rather less good at actually doing anything. I will be amazed if anything positive comes out of this.

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brooksby | 8 years ago
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Quote:

... other issues Mr Cameron said he would raise with the secretary of state include ...

He will also ask him to explore ...

Dave's kind of covered here, isn't he? He will [em]ask[/em] the Secretary to look into and explore stuff, and then when it doesn't happen because it would cause some possible inconvenience to lorry companies (because, let's face it, we know it won't), it's not his fault.

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Broady. | 8 years ago
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Believe it when I see it.

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danthomascyclist | 8 years ago
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More hot air. I'm sure this is the third "talk" about cycling that the PM has got involved with in the past 12 months.

This will fizzle into nothing.

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teaboy | 8 years ago
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Quote:

“Our major cities have a lamentable record both for levels of cycling and for cycle safety compared to those of our European neighbours"

Yes, they really do.

Quote:

it would take very little public investment to make a big improvement in the climate for cycling.

Sort of. Bear in mind that currently about 2% of journeys are made by bike. Why is less than 1% of the transport budget spent on cycling?

To create an environment that people want to cycle in things have to be done properly, not for the lowest possible price.

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