Under questioning from Caroline Russell AM at City Hall this morning, the Mayor of London refused to rule out planned cuts to London’s cycling budget.
On National Cycle to Work Day, Caroline urged the Mayor to increase the cycling budget in Transport for London’s forthcoming business plan.
The Mayor said ‘We don’t want to put all our eggs in the cycle superhighways basket.”
Responding to the Mayor’s refusal to rule out the planned cuts to cycling investment, Caroline Russell said:
“I am very disappointed that the Mayor refused to rule out cycling budget cuts today. During his election campaign he pledged to increase the proportion of TfL funding for cycling, his fares freeze and other pressures mean the overall pot for transport investment is going to shrink. That means cycle spending could fall off a cliff even if he meets his campaign pledge.”
“We need the Mayor to increase the cycling budget significantly and show he is dedicated to building more cycle routes so that a greater range of people can start to cycle. London needs more cycling to clean up our polluted air, reduce traffic and take pressure off other forms of transport. The superhighways that have been built so far have been phenomenally successful. So many more Londoners feel confident about cycling since they’ve been built. Londoners who cycle, or who want to cycle, will be concerned that the Mayor refused to rule out budget cuts when I questioned him today. I will be urging him to think again as he draws up his transport plans.”
Notes to editors
Youtube clip of question and reply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw62jJAriik
Caroline is available for interview
Caroline Russell was elected as a Green member of the London Assembly in May 2016. She has been a councillor for Highbury East ward in Islington since 2014.
Caroline’s question was: Given the success of the recently completed cycle superhighway projects, will you increase the cycling budget in Transport for London’s next business plan?