Threat of congestion charge grows for bikes

Road safety campaigners are calling on Ken Livinstone to add bikes to London’s congestion charging

They fear that the fact that bikes go free will add to the number of new and inexperienced riders on London’s roads. And they reckon that’s a recipe for disaster for pedestrians. Phillip Connolly, London Manager for Living Streets (formerly the Pedestrians’ Association) said: ” You are eight times more likely to be knocked down by a motorcyclist than a car in Central London. ”

Connolly believes motorcyclists cut inside vehicles and accelerate too quickly for pedestrians to spot. He is concerned that the average speed of traffic has increased from 9mph to 20mph since congestion charging, and claims that bikers have been quick to take advantage of this.

“Our presumption is that it’s not the pedestrian at fault. We wouldn’t suggest it’s exclusively the fault of the bikers, but it is their responsibility for safety as they are better protected, going faster. ”

Fellow road campaigners Brake have a different focus. Spokesman Ben Heatley said, ” People are being tempted on to two wheels and we are nervous about car drivers riding 50cc scooters without prior training. ”

There are no statistics available yet to show whether bikers, or the number of accidents have increased with congestion charging. Malcolm Phillips from the RAC spent 12 hours monitoring London road cameras, and says there appeared to be more bikes on the roads. He added, ” There were no real traffic incidents at all. ”

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