Cyclists: Safety

Baroness Winterton of Doncaster Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

Self-education is not a bad thing sometimes. I know that the Mayor of London is making strong attempts to improve the behaviour of cyclists. It is a concern that people feel able to cycle through red lights and across zebra crossings when people are on them. It is dangerous not only for pedestrians, disabled people and other road users but for cyclists themselves. I am very pleased to see that the Mayor of London is running that campaign and I hope that other local highway authorities do so as well.

[Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Lab)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that some real problems can be caused by Lime bikes and rental bikes? If a cyclist causes an accident or injury and the person using the bike is underage or the bike is stolen, there is no insurance cover and the companies refuse to take responsibility for the accident. Will the Minister look at what can be done to rectify this matter? It has caused some real problems, particularly here in the capital, and these companies need to take responsibility.

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

There certainly is an issue with illegal or underage use of hire bikes. I take what my noble friend says with great seriousness. We are considering what else to do about this matter.