Boris to look at "more ambitious" cycling targets

Boris Johnson’s endorsement of cycling in London was a significant element of his campaign to be elected as the capital’s mayor, but as we reported last week on BikeRadar, now, according to the London Cycling Campaign, it’s time to start delivering on his promises.

The new mayor’s own cycling behaviour has also come in for some scrutiny in the short time since he entered office. The Sunday Mirror went to the trouble of using a helmet cam to follow him and gain some underwhelming footage of Boris “breaking the law” cycling to and from work.

The mayor’s spokesman responded to Susie Boniface’s scintillating piece of investigative journalism thus: “Boris feels strongly that cyclists should not jump red lights and if he did so then clearly that was a mistake and he will be more careful in future.”

As for the London Cycling Campaign’s call for Mr Johnson to live up to his pre-election promises, the mayor appears determined to deliver.

“I fully intend to ensure that the cycling share of London journeys is massively increased in the coming years,” he said. “TfL is working towards a target of 5% by 2025, but I will be working with TfL and the boroughs on new ideas that might enable us to be more ambitious. 

“I've already asked TfL to develop plans for a bicycle hire scheme for London, along the lines of the hugely popular Velib scheme in Paris, to make cycling accessible to everyone.  

“We’ll work to make cycling safer and more convenient, and we'll work with the boroughs to make cycling a priority. £2 million will also be made available for more secure parking facilities such as the FinsburyPark cycle park.”

But how seriously do you take the new mayor's promises and what measures do you think he and the boroughs should prioritise "to make cycling safer and more convenient"? And what did you make of the Sunday Mirror's footage of Boris' commute? Log in below and have your say.