Labour to give cyclist safety ‘high priority’ in 2015 manifesto

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh has placed cyclist safety high on Labour’s transport policy agenda for the next general election, reports The Guardian.

Creagh said: "Getting a cycle safety audit into the mainstream of transport planning is very high on our agenda for the next manifesto so that cyclists and pedestrians are not added in as afterthoughts but planned in from the start."

Creagh’s words come a week after London’s record for cyclist safety hit the headlines.

On Twitter, Creagh, who is MP for Wakefield, describes herself as "Cyclist, cook, wife, mum, fruit grower, Labour MP for Wakefield and Shadow Transport Secretary."

Last week she tweeted: "We cyclists shouldn’t have to risk our lives on the roads. Petition for Mayor to act on cycling deaths here. 

Speaking at the Wakefield Cycle Forum in September, marking the success of Wakefield’s first Big Cycle Ride, Creagh said: “I’ve been riding my bike for over 30 years…Cycling is great exercise, good for the environment and often quicker than a car."

The Wakefield MP cycled to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in September to raise money for charity.

There’s more on Labour’s plans for cycling in their Environment Campaign blog.