Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

John Cryer Excerpts
Thursday 20th March 2014

(10 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Robert Goodwill Portrait Mr Goodwill
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The first point that needs to be made is that, compared with the previous Government, we have doubled spending on cycling. Indeed, the eight cycling ambition cities have benefited from that funding, and Cambridge is one of them.

John Cryer Portrait John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
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If we are to get more people cycling, the physical fear—real or imagined—must be removed, particularly on busy roads such as those near my constituency where a number of people have died. How can the Government address that and take away the physical fear of cycling on busy roads?

Robert Goodwill Portrait Mr Goodwill
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The Highways Agency is spending £40 million on cycling improvement schemes. I think that some of the media coverage, particularly in London last year, gives the impression that cycling is more dangerous than it actually is. It is safer now than it ever has been.