A cycling lesson in Paris

Say what you like about the French, but when they decide to go for something as a community they really do go for it. Take cycling for example. When I left Paris in 2004, after six years of living and working there, cycle lanes were unheard of. Even last year there were none to speak of. Yet almost overnight they have sprouted up everywhere in the French capital. Every road seems to have a properly separated two-way cycle lane.

Contrast that with London where cycle lanes are usually part of the main traffic flow and often disappear altogether, or are blocked by parked cars, or made dangerous by speed bumps. Or where people are fined hundreds of pounds for cycling in a park. We want to encourage people to cycle more because of the environmental and health benefits, but we make it so difficult and dangerous for them to do so.

In my ward – Belsize – lots of parents tell me they would let their children cycle to school if only it wasn’t so dangerous. That’s why the Lib Dems will be pushing for a big increase in proper cycle lanes throughout Camden over the next four years.