CTC helping cyclists to “punch their weight” according to MP
Following a CTC campaign that gained the support of over 11,000 cyclists, transport minister Derek Twigg MP has suggested that proposed changes to the Highway Code that would have told cyclists to ‘use cycle facilities…where provided’, will be shelved.
CTC fears insurance companies would use the revised wording of the new Code, which has recently been subject to consultation, as an excuse to reduce the amount of compensation that they pay if a motorist hits a cyclist that has chosen to use a road rather than a nearby cycle facility.
When asked during Parliamentary Questions by Jo Swinson MP whether he would “give us an assurance that the new Highway Code will not force cyclists off the road for fear of legal consequences?", the transport minister responsible for cycling, Derek Twigg MP, replied: "The simple answer is that it will not."
Meanwhile, during a parliamentary debate on cycling in the Commons, the former transport minister responsible for cycling, Charlotte Atkins MP, said “I also congratulate the Cyclists' Touring Club on raising the profile of cyclists…For too long, cyclists have moaned about facilities, but have not punched their weight in terms of political pressure by lobbying MPs, Ministers and their local authorities. The CTC says that more than 11,000 cyclists have e-mailed their MPs in response to its campaign about the Highway Code. That is absolutely brilliant...”
CTC Campaigns and Policy Manager, Roger Geffen, said: “CTC very much hopes this is an indication that the voices of 11,000 cyclists have been heard. Our thanks also go out to everyone who wrote to their MP as part of this campaign - the fact that so many MPs have voiced such strong support for cycling was undoubtedly down to your efforts too. However, we now need to make sure the Government also thinks about the wider aims behind this campaign. If 11,000 cyclists are this aggrieved about the suggestion that they should use cycle facilities that are supposedly for their benefit, this suggests that there is something seriously wrong with the facilities being provided. In a year when they are supposed to be issuing new design guidance on street design and on ‘Cycle-Friendly Infrastructure,’ we very much hope they will listen to cyclists’ views on how best to fix this all-to-evident problem.”
