Cars Should Go Slower For Cyclists, Expert Urges, After Bradley Wiggins And Shane Sutton Crashes (PICTURES)

Should Motorists Be Made To Go Slower For Cyclists?

Cars should be made to go slower and more space on roads given over to cyclists, a transport planning expert has said.

Britain can learn from the Netherlands and Denmark, said Phil Jones, a consultant who designs highways and cycling routes.

He told BBC Breakfast in the aftermath of the accidents involving Bradley Wiggins and Shane Sutton that it was possible to make changes to make more space available for cyclists.

The scene of Wiggins' accidentThe call comes after Bradley Wiggins was knocked off his bike

"Our carriageways in the UK are not that different from the Netherlands and Denmark, where these things have been done, so we can fit these things in, in many situations, and where we can't, the key is to reduce traffic speed. The big problem with cycle safety is the differential in speed between cars and cyclists."

He said that recently in London there had been schemes where pavements had been widened.

"Some would argue that they have been over-widened, there's still some space there to be made available. Or you can take space away from motor traffic. We are finding that traffic in the UK is not growing any more, it's beginning to decline in some places. If traffic begins to ease back a bit, there's space available that we can take back for cycling."

Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, a spokesman for British Cycling, said: "Only 250 miles away, in Holland and Denmark, they made a conscious choice, in the 70s - where do we want to live, what does the place look like?

"They legislated for that, they put some teeth behind it, and funding was there. It was led at governmental level, but it showed that it can be done, just 250 miles away."

He said it was "an incredible coincidence" that the two accidents happened at almost the same time.

"I never had one while I was training, in 20 years.

"Statistically, it is very safe, but the perception is it's not a pleasant thing to do, it looks scary, going out there with cars, and in that area, a lot can be done."

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