Wednesday 13th October 2010

(13 years, 7 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Earl Attlee Portrait Earl Attlee
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I am very grateful to hear that.

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Portrait Lord Kennedy of Southwark
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My Lords, will the Minister speak urgently to the Mayor of London? A consequence of his cycle hire scheme is a dramatic increase in the number of cyclists on the roads in London not in the correct attire, with no helmets or reflective clothing. Such circumstances dramatically increase the risk of serious injury or even death.

Earl Attlee Portrait Earl Attlee
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My Lords, it is very easy to overestimate the risk of accidents when riding a bicycle. The health benefits of riding a bicycle are very great indeed. For every year of life we lose to a cycling accident, we gain 20 years of life. Therefore, the bike hire scheme has great health benefits.