LCC: ‘Ken Livingstone edges ahead for cyclists in London Mayor race’

Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone has committed to making London’s streets safer with Dutch-style facilities, the London Cycle Campaign (LCC) has revealed.

According to the group, Labour candidate Livingstone has opened up ‘a massive gulf’ ahead of closest rival Boris Johnson by accepting all three of the LCC’s demands in its ‘Go Dutch‘ campaign. He joins Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick and Green Jenny Jones in agreeing to the pledges.

The Mayoral elections take place next week on Thursday May 3rd.

Boris Johnson sits alongside independent Siobhan Benita and the UKIP and BNP candidates in not supporting the three Go Dutch demands, or calling for any Dutch-standard cycling provision in London.

"We’re delighted one of the leading mayoral challengers has earned an ‘A-grade’ for his commitment to Dutch-standard cycling provision," said LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha. "But we’re disappointed Boris Johnson is still at the bottom of the class because his promises to cyclists remain so weak.

"We know he supports cycling, and call on him to match those candidates committing to a Dutch-style cycling revolution."

Livingstone said: "I’m fully committed to meeting the Love London, Go Dutch three tests over the next mayoralty, and I look forward to working with the London Cycling Campaign and its members to deliver this if Londoners choose to elect me as their Mayor on May 3rd."

Paddick added: "The London Liberal Democrats and I are fully committed to meeting the LCC’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign three tests."

And those three demands? They are to:

1. Implement three flagship Love London, Go Dutch developments on major streets and/or locations.
2. Make sure all planned developments on the main roads that they controls are complete to Go Dutch standards, especially junctions.
3. Make sure the Cycle Superhighways programme is completed to Love London, Go Dutch standards.

The London Cycling campaign is organising the Big Ride on Saturday April 28th, where thousands of Londoners will support safer cycling streets. Nearly 40,000 have signed LCC’s Love London, Go Dutch petition, calling for streets that are as safe and inviting as those in Hollands, a figure equivalent to 2 per cent of the two million Londoners who voted in the 2008 mayoral election.

Recent opinion polls show Livingstone within two per cent of Johnson in the race to be London’s next mayor.