Cyclists are making congestion and pollution in UK cities worse, a Labour MP has claimed
Rob Flello, who describes himself as a “cycle lane-sceptic”, said “the transfer to two wheels clearly hasn’t solved many problems” and claimed bike lanes led to increased congestion and pollution.
He suggested “tarmac formerly used by vehicles” was being “underused by bikes”, adding that could “in turn cause greater congestion and pollution”.
“The point is that while bikes may be an element of the solution to the congestion problem they’re not an answer on their own,” Mr Flello said.
The Stoke-On-Trent South MP, who sits on the Transport Select Committee, continued: “Make no mistake, congestion is incredibly closely related to pollution. Idling vehicles, stuck in traffic produce far more noxious outpourings than free-flowing ones."
He went on to argue that he was not "against bikes" and said he was "supportive of the idea that using bikes can make a meaningful, albeit probably far from decisive, contribution”.
But, using the example of Cambridge, where around half of residents cycle at least once a week, he appeared to suggest that high rates of cycling had contributed to making it “one of the most congested places in the country”.
He also criticised those who treated drivers as an “evil, diesel fume-belching demonic brotherhood, intent on choking our streets and our children’s lungs”.
His comments have angered cycling campaigners who argue converting car drivers to bicycle riders is the only way to tackle poor air quality and gridlocked roads.
Roger Geffen OBE, policy director at Cycling UK, encouraged Mr Flello to visit cities in Denmark and the Netherlands to see how cycling can cut congestion.
Mr Geffen told The Independent: "Cycling is a highly efficient way to use road-space – a typical traffic lane can accommodate 2,000 cars per hour, or 14,000 bicycles.
“Cycle lanes won’t be used all the time, in the same way that outbound traffic lanes and outbound public transport services aren’t heavily used during the morning.
“That doesn’t mean they are inefficient: far from it. Nor are they adding to congestion and pollution.
“On the contrary, congestion and pollution are both greatly reduced compared to what we’d have if all those people were travelling by cars, taxis or buses.”
Mr Flello’s latest comments follow remarks he made during an evidence session at the transport committee last week when he appeared to call for existing bike lanes to be ripped up.
He told MPs and traffic experts gathered for an inquiry into urban traffic congestion on 9 January: “Surely if traffic is being slowed down because some of the available tarmac is being removed and put to other purposes, or some of the tarmac is not available because of roadworks or because it has been blocked off while some work is being done on pavements—whatever it might be—surely one of the answers is to reinstate some of the tarmac that has been removed.
"It speeds up the traffic and perhaps does more for air pollution in places such as London than getting people on to pushbikes."
