• LONDON’S population has increased from seven million in 2001 to eight million in 2011 and is forecast to reach nine million by 2020 – it’s approaching 8.7million today.

The vast majority of these Londoners are pedestrians. The width of the capital’s pavements has, though, little changed in decades. London’s pavements, in some places, are now very crowded indeed.

The number of cyclists has increased by some 200 per cent since the turn of the century with, today, over 600,000 cycle journeys daily. In Zone 1, during the morning rush hour, 32 per cent of all vehicles are now bicycles.

If these cycling trends continue, say Transport for London, the numbers commuting to central London by bike will have overtaken those in cars by 2020. This enthusiasm for cycling is mostly for the good. Cycling is healthy, relatively inexpensive, takes people off public transport, and vehicles off roads and, of course, it’s environmentally sound.

There were no more than 20 vehicles on Britain’s roads in 1895, the year the first motor vehicle arrived from France, and that number increased to some 10,000 by the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. To help regulate the massive increase in motor vehicles, the Motor Car Act 1903 introduced vehicle registration numbers. There were one million drivers in Britain by 1921 and, today, there are over 27 million vehicles on our roads. No one today questions the need for vehicle registration or driver licensing, insurance and tests.

However, while hardly any pavements have been widened, roads have been narrowed to construct cycle lanes. Yet while so much has been done to accommodate cycling and cyclists, many cycle users have not responded gratefully.

The number of violations daily of the rules of the road plain for all to see. Many cyclists speed along, taking little consideration of prevailing conditions, and are a danger to themselves and to others.

It is time for a new approach, as in the first 10 years of motoring, so that cycling and cyclists may be regulated and, when appropriate, made accountable. It is time to consider cycle speed limits, cycle registration, cyclist licensing and insurance as it’s clear that too many cyclists have embraced a lawlessness similar to that among early settlers in the Wild West – without the guns.

It is also time for City Hall and Town Hall to appoint a champion for pedestrians and to insist on robust law enforcement for all road, cycle path and towpath cycle users. Safety first for all must be the mantra not just safety for cyclists.

LESTER MAY
Reachview Close, NW1