Pedal Cyclists: Insurance

Lord Austin of Dudley Excerpts

Thursday 23rd May 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

I hear what the noble Baroness says. That is a pretty drastic approach, but she has made her point well.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, this is utterly ridiculous. Everybody using the roads should abide by the rules, but the figures bear out that many more pedestrians are hurt by drivers than by cyclists. Frankly, every day I see cars jumping red lights, speeding and going across pedestrian crossings, and the police are not able to enforce all of those at the moment. The best way to make our roads safer is to get more people on bikes. That would improve the environment and public health. Is the Minister not completely right to say that this will cost a fortune, be incredibly complex and massively bureaucratic and, as the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, knows better than anybody, with the pressures that the police are already under, be utterly unenforceable.

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

The noble Lord makes an excellent point. In terms of getting people out of cars and on to bikes and walking, this Government have done more than any other to promote walking and cycling. We remain fully committed to the vision that, by 2030, half of all journeys in towns or cities will be walked or cycled.