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Boris Johnson opens CS5Boris Johnson: I won't "bully or coerce" people into cycling, or commit to £10 per head per year
London Mayor Boris Johnson has this morning refused to commit to £10 per head per year were he to become leader of the Conservative party, shortly after it was revealed two in three MPs want more money spent on cycling.
A survey by sustainable transport charity, Sustrans, revealed that of 93 MPs, on average the desired annual spend on cycling was £26 per person per year. However, this morning Johnson told road.cc, at the opening of the first of London's new batch of fully protected cycle routes, the UK is largely a “four wheel car economy” and he wouldn’t "bully or coerce" people into cycling were he to become Prime Minister.
Johnson, who steps down from his Mayoral role in May, and is a strong contender for leader of the Conservative party, also said “senior colleagues” in Parliament were against his cycle superhighway programme, as it hindered their car journeys across London.
When asked by road.cc whether he would commit to £10 per head per year as party leader, he said: “I’m certainly a fanatical believer in getting people on bikes if you possibly can, but I don’t want to bully people or coerce them, I certainly don’t want to take away other options.
“We are still a very largely a four wheel, car economy in huge parts of the country and the city but very often that’s not necessary, that’s what I’m saying. Where you can put in good cycle provision, people want to take it up.”
In 2013 Johnson committed to spend £913m over ten years on a cycling programme that would include protected cycle superhighways, safer junctions and three "mini Hollands" to showcase people friendly town centre designs.
Nationally the picture is less certain. Currently annual spend on cycling in England is around £4, much of which is focused on a handful of cities, with Oxfordshire spending just 25p per person per year on cycling. Sustrans points out the government’s spend on transport overall is around £300 per person per year.
Previously David Cameron said he would aim to increase spending on cycling to £10 per head per year in England, which pro-cycling charities, including Sustrans, say would slowly improve cycling rates after chronic underinvestment. However, amid fears cycling will suffer in the forthcoming spending review and this pledge be forgotten, Sustrans has joined calls on the Department of Transport to make a strong funding commitment to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which was made law earlier this year.
Johnson said some senior colleagues in Parliament were against London's cycle superhighway programme, which he called “one of the most difficult things” of his mayoralty.
He said: “This [cycle superhighways programme] is probably, in a hotly contested field, one of the most difficult things we’ve had to do. It’s caused an awful lot of aggro, in particularly with senior colleagues in Parliament who like to travel around in cars.”
However, Johnson called London’s cycle superhighways “vital” to encourage people out of their cars, ease congestion and improve health.
"With London's population growing by 10,000 a month, there are only two ways to keep traffic moving - build more roads, which is for the most part physically impossible, or encourage the use of vehicles, such as bikes, which better use the space on the roads we've already got."
Johnson was on the receiving end of some colourful expletives this morning, including a one fingered salute from one irate cyclist, and sweary heckling by another.
Boris Johnson receives unexpected salute from passing cyclist on Vauxhall Bridge this morning @PAImages pic.twitter.com/AVHL5BMUlw
— Press Association (@PA) November 19, 2015
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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25 comments
"Previously David Cameron said he would aim to increase spending on cycling to £10 per head per year"
As is now adequately clear, he had no such aim, and was lying, and he knew he was lying when he said it. This was an election gimmick and, as with most promises made on the run-up to an election, had no basis in reality whatsoever.
Osborne wants to cut spending on cycling to zero. Cameron knew this and was already in agreement. Don't forget that neither of them care if you live or die.
Boris was fairly poor for cycling in his first term as mayor, but has delivered well since.
There is still some stuff to criticise, but the two men most likely to replace him (Zac and Sadiq) look a lot less keen on cycling. It's going to be hard work keeping up the level of improvement under the last three years of Boris.
Saw this on the way home the other day: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.534342,-0.1859057,3a,75y,122.49h,65.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sS6uEJeKced9AgOm3JOVoEw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DS6uEJeKced9AgOm3JOVoEw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D151.21565%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656
Boris is a wolf in fool's clothing. If he got into power he'd crush us all.
It is rather ironic that Boris Johnson only started cycling regularly when he was banned from driving. He has seen the light. I didn't vote for him but he has on balance done quite a few things for cyclists and he does understand the varying needs of commuters and transport infrastructure as a whole, which is more than can be said for most politicians.
Now if we could get a few more politians banned from driving............
Like Mr Sheep, I have adjusted my commute to use it as if it doesn't get used, the anti's will be all over it as an example of why infrastructure for cyclists is a waste of money.
For what it's worth, I think it is pretty good and i'd be happy to see more of the same rolled out.
As for the bloke giving Boris the bird, by all means call him out for his failures but the photo is perfect fodder for those that think cyclists are basically a militant out group to be ignored.
No one is asking him to bully or coerce anyone.
We just want proper levels of investment in cycling infrastructure so that everyone then has a genuine choice as to how they get about.
Yes but what worries me about this much-vaunted "£10 per head" figure is that there is currently nothing in the way of a national plan to a high standard. I'd rather have £3 spent well on good quality segregated infrastructure (like that Vauxhall lane up there ^^) than £10 spent badly on bits of random paint with no planning or thought behind it.
London seems to have got it right (or at least, a lot more right than most other areas have ever managed). Let's just hope that some of that good practice now starts spilling outwards to other cities and they can start spending their money wisely on infrastructure that is of genuine benefit rather than a host of blue "cyclists dismount" signs...
Wouldn’t "bully or coerce" people into cycling were he to become Prime Minister.
If Boris were to become prime minister i would be applying to seek refuge in Syria
OK I've read this a fair few times now and I still don't get your point. Boris says he wants to encourage as many people to cycle as possible but doesn't want to bully or coerce people.
And you want to move to Syria if he somehow leads the Conservative Party.
What did I miss?
Was it:
You don't want to encourage more people to start cycling?
You do want to bully and coerce people into cycling?
You just like Syria quite a lot?
There's also a short video interview over on the Standard which is amusing. He's asked about confusion between cyclists and pedestrians, immediately followed by pedestrians walking in the cycle track behind him!
You don't have to bully or coerce people - all the evidence shows people want to ride if the faciliities are there and it's seen as safe to do so. Given the tens of thousands being killed by pollution, the incessant congestion and the health of the nation this should be a national priority. Boris' position is exactly what you'd expect - paying lip service with lots of media coverage and a few flagship projects while not upsetting the status quo.
Too little and too slowly - perhaps the leadership should listen to their members on the cycling spend and we might actually get somehwere.
Is that really true? Robust, realistic evidence? People say things they don't really mean and they can be guided to particular answer by the nature of the questions. Who responds is important too - the MPs responding to Sustrans questionnaire are unlikely to be representative of the whole.
i like him
Well, I guess that makes two of us. Nice to meet you.
That last picture, not cool. There's lots to criticise Boris for, but Vauxhill Bridge and CS5 look like solid achivements. I'll still be at the demo outside TfL next Friday.
There's a story from Boris' dad who was walking past Highbury & Islington tube station when someone yelled "w**ker" at him from across the street. He replied "you'll be wanting my son. not me"
Boris is the ultimate self-serving politician. Lovely with a soundbite, substance has to be got out of him with thumbscrews. Credit to LCC and others for applying them
I agree with you. I don't agree with Boris but if this is how we treat our politicians then why are we surprised that only monsters apply?
We don't treat all our politicians like this. Just those who are deserving of our contempt.
For my money Johnson's right near the top of that list.....
Agreed, it's fantastic - I wish it was much longer but I've been going a much longer route in and home just to ride along this the last couple of weeks. Proper, protected, decent signalling, clear... Lovely.
And going through Vauxhall Cross of all places, somewhere which until a few weeks ago I was always scared cycling through in any form... More Of This Sort Of Thing!
I haven't actually tried it yet, not much need to head into town this month. I will go and take a look at it next week, before heading to the SKC demo outside TfL.
I think it more likely that the guy was just someone giving Boris some random abuse, he gets that alot. Probably nothing to do with cycling, it's just a slightly unfortunate photo-op, I expect I can find some cabbies moaning about "ungrateful cyclists" online right now if I take a look.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if one of the media scrum present (some of video clips show a few photographers there) put him up to it. Wouldn't be the first time a shill had been paid/encouraged to do something to liven up a photoshoot.
I'd be very surprised if you'd need to pay to find someone willing to abuse him. There'd be a queue of volunteers.
Remember Eddie Mair interviewing him?
"You are a nasty piece of work aren't you, Boris Johnson?"
well considering the Daily mail and the Telegraph both went with that picture above the others, I wouldn't put it past them as they both have an 'anti-cyclist' hidden agenda... not really all that hidden though, just that they always push anti-cycling storylines...