Andy Burnham pledges to make cycling safer

Want to buy this photo?

Andy Burnham

Figures obtained by Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham MP, show almost 3,000 cyclists were killed or injured on the region’s roads in the last five years.

According to the figures from the Department of Transport 13 cyclists were killed and almost 500 seriously injured on Greater Manchester’s roads between 2011 and 2015. A further 2,500 cyclists suffered less serious injuries.

Mr Burnham has pledged to create a network of dedicated routes to make cycling safer and more accessible.

He said: “I will work with Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs to build a network of dedicated cycle lanes linking the boroughs and linking each borough to Manchester City Centre.

“By making full use of old infrastructure including disused railways and canal paths we can make cycling safer, quicker and more enjoyable.”

Over one million commuting journeys are made by car in Greater Manchester each day.

Around 15% of car journeys in the morning rush hour are less than a mile and more than 30% of people travel less than three miles.

Encouraging more people to cycle will have a significant impact on improving congestion and air quality.

However, according to a 2015 survey by transport charity Sustrans only 26% of people in Greater Manchester rate cycling safety as ‘good’ or ‘very good.’

Mr Brunham said: “Cycling is a great way of getting around. It’s affordable, environmentally friendly and a good way to keep fit. Thousands of people in Greater Manchester regularly commute to and from work on their bikes, but we need to develop more designated cycle routes that separate cyclists from cars. With faster, safer routes even more people will see cycling as a genuine alternative to using the car."