Cllr Adam Harrison

• I AM grateful to Camden’s culture and environment scrutiny committee for backing plans for safer walking and cycling between Belsize Park and Chalk Farm last week.

I am grateful too to four local schools and the Royal Free Hospital for supporting the proposals, as well as disabled cyclists’ charity Wheels for Wellbeing, the NW3-based charity Green School Runs, Camden Cyclists, London Living Streets, and more.

Councillors heard from Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Dr Mark Hayden how beneficial more walking and cycling is for our health (and for the environment) but that it should not have to be a risk to one’s life to brave the roads.

From my point of view, I was pleased to have the chance to say that we wish to ensure that people living in all parts of the borough have access to safe walking and cycling. Living in Hampstead or Belsize should not mean you are denied this.

Our streets are far too unequal; we know many groups are under-represented on our roads, including women who, evidence shows, are much more likely to cycle if there is clear, segregated, space in which to do so.

If there were any other public service in which there was such an imbalance we would be taking all steps possible to address this. And we are.

Five Labour councillors voted in favour, the Tory voted against, while the Liberal Democrat member of the committee abstained.

I regularly argue that road safety should be, and often is, a cross-party endeavour. The current government has been strong on this in recent years.

But at a local level I am proud that this administration is being ambitious on behalf of the most vulnerable road users in the borough.

I hope other parties come more fully on board as we work to defeat road danger.

CLLR ADAM HARRISON
Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Camden