Opinion-in-brief: Leave cyclists out of your culture wars
This government is a small state government, Conservatives tell us. People don’t like it when politicians intrude too much in their life choices, they say.
Yet Transport Secretary Grant Shapps thinks there’s one area where it is worth intervening: the dangerous, unruly lycra-clad cyclist community.
He called for speed limits in residential areas, and insurance for drivers is also being considered. Authorities acknowledge that in order to enforce these new rules, cyclists would need number plates like cars do.
Shapps also wants to close a loophole in the law: reckless cyclists who kill someone in an incident can be jailed for a maximum of two years, while motorists can get a life sentence. This clearly makes no sense, and should be modified.
The rest feels disproportionate. A community that chooses to travel sustainably – despite how dangerous it often feels to be on two wheels on the streets of London – deserves praise, not babysitting from the state.