Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has called for safer cycling following the tragic death last night of a 28 year old cyclist, who was run over and killed by a coach close to the Olympic Velodrome. Wiggins commented that cycling in the capital can be dangerous, and there needs to be more ‘give-and-take’ between drivers and cyclists. He advised cyclists to do everything they can to keep themselves safe and argued cycle helmets should be mandatory.
Brake, the road safety charity, is campaigning for key measures to protect cyclists and pedestrians, to prevent devastating casualties and make it safer for people to enjoy active, sustainable lifestyles, including:
- Widespread 20mph limits in towns and cities and lower limits on rural roads, to give drivers more time to react and more chance of avoiding collisions
- More traffic-free and segregated cycle paths, especially on key commuter routes and connecting homes and community facilities
- Safe pavements, footpaths and crossings in communities
Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, says: “We echo Wiggins’ calls for cyclists to do everything they can to protect themselves, but it’s also critical that far more is done to make roads safer for cycling and walking. We are appealing to government and local authorities to give greater priority and investment to enabling people to walk and cycle in their own communities without their lives being endangered. We need more widespread 20mph limits, and safe routes for people choosing these healthy and sustainable forms of transport.
“If we are to encourage more active and sustainable lifestyles, and enable more children and adults to take up sports like cycling and running, we need our streets to be more cyclist and pedestrian friendly.”
