Clause 69 - Contraventions subject to civil enforcement
Traffic Management Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Paul Marsden (Shadow Minister, Transport; Shrewsbury and Atcham, Liberal Democrat)
The clause identifies four categories of road traffic contraventions that are to be subjected to civil enforcement. The four that are listed do not seem to include cycling. There is a brief mention in schedule 7, which we will possibly discuss in more detail later. Paragraphs 3(2)(g) and 4(2)(h) both refer to section 21 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in relation to cycle tracks.
The CTC, the national cyclists' organisation, wants to know whether the definition of cycle tracks includes things such as cycle lanes and cyclists' advance stop-line facilities. I am sure that the Committee knows that they are the coloured bits on the road in front of traffic lights. I want to see proper protection for all cyclists, in the same way that we offer protection to other road users. Sometimes cyclists seem to be the Cinderella users of the public transport network. They appear to come bottom of the pile for investment. If we are trying to reduce traffic congestion, cyclists are incredibly environmentally friendly. The more cyclists we have, the greater will be the reduction in both congestion and pollution.