Commons: Select Committees - Transport: Road Safety

[Matt_Sheffield]

On Tuesday 24th April there is a commons select committee discussing road safety, from TWFY it looks like it will be a good one. Does anyone have an agenda or any more information about this? I'd not heard of this meeting until it popped up on TWFY.

The attendees are:

Witnesses: Jon Snow, newscaster and cycling advocate, James Harding, Editor, The Times, and Josie Dew, author and cycling advocate; Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, and Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport (at 11.00 am)

It is at 10:10 am; Room 8, Palace of Westminster.

www.theyworkforyou.com/calendar/?d=2012-04-24

 

[Matt_Sheffield]

Ah, it's part of the ongoing inquiring into road safety... http://www.parliament.uk/business/c...mittee/inquiries/parliament-2010/road-safety/

 

[zimzum42]

Just read the BBC News article on their website

Some pretty standard stuff - only one bit I find problematic:

Mr Harding (Times editor) said...
"The best way to fix these problems is to listen to cyclists..."
As if we are one amorphous group - listen to 100 cyclists and you might hear 99 different opinions on what is going on.
It's about as useful as listening to motorists -one lot will want everything made so they can go faster, another lot will want everything made so things go slower so they feel safer.

A whole bunch of cyclists think we need separate cycle lanes everywhere. I personally think that would be a disaster. So who ought they to listen to?????

 

[davefb]

tbh, I view 'seperate cycle lanes' as appropriate solutions for some problems.. same as motorways are what you build, when you need a motorway.. far better than 'half arsed box ticking cycle lanes'.. that we mainly end up getting/paying for... that solve little.

motoring does have many lobby groups though, not all 'lets go faster'

 

[Manifietso]

TImes Article about it here. Comments from Penning are deeply worrying! He needs to be disposed of quick smart, he is displaying a shocking ignorance towards cycling and cyclist:

Mr Penning said that work on revising the driving test was an “ongoing” process, but added that he would not make it compulsory for haulage firms and bus companies to train their drivers on cycle awareness because “we must not take responsibility away from the driver”.
He also refused to commit to targets to reduce fatalities on Britain’s streets because “the Government is not a fan of targets”.
Cycling organisations and bloggers later criticised Mr Penning for claiming that the Netherlands – a country seen as a beacon worldwide on cycle safety – could learn from Britain in reducing deaths.