London’s cycling tsar has branded cyclists who ride irresponsibly as “idiots” – while delivering the same rebuke to motorists who drive dangerously.
Will Norman’s comments come amid growing concern at the danger posed to pedestrians and other cyclists by “pimped up” e-bikes that exceed the legal maximum of 15.5mph and are effectively unlicensed motorbikes.
In May, The Standard revealed that a pedestrian died in hospital after being critically injured crossing the road in west London after colliding with an e-bike rider.
At the same time, campaigners have warned that the popularity of “super-sized” SUV cars places pedestrians – especially children – at far greater risk of being critically or fatally injured in a road crash.
Mr Norman, Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan’s walking and cycling commissioner, said the “antagonism” between cyclists and motorists portrayed on social media was “not representative of real life”.
But he admitted: “Let’s not beat around the bush, though – some people are idiots and some behaviour is against the law.
“Some cyclists don’t stop at red lights, some cut through crossings, and some car drivers drive too fast, uninsured, and use their mobile phones.
“Of course there are challenges to tackle but this ‘us vs them’ mentality is often exaggerated online, creating an unhappy and unhelpful narrative.”
In an interview with the Zag Daily website, Mr Norman added: “If you’re cycling, don’t be an idiot. If you’re driving a car, don’t be an idiot. If you’re driving a bus, don’t be an idiot. If you’re driving a truck, don’t be an idiot.”
Latest figures from Transport for London show the number of people killed or seriously injured in the capital fell only a fraction last year, from 3,710 in 2023 to 3,696 in 2024.
The 2024 figures included 110 fatalities, including nine cyclists – up one on the eight people killed cycling in London in 2023.
However, a wider definition of road fatalities suggests that as many as 130 road deaths may have occurred in London in 2024.
The number of deaths in 2024 was substantially higher than the 95 recorded in 2023.
More than 80 per cent of the deaths and serious injuries were suffered by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Mr Norman said injuries in London were falling faster than the national average, in part due to the roll-out of 20mph speed limits, school streets and low traffic neighbourhoods [LTNs].
But he admitted that “in many ways, we’re running to stand still” due to bigger cars on the roads.
“Larger and heavier vehicles are putting pedestrians and cyclists at greater risk, yet there’s a national trend towards bigger SUVs,” he said.
“Modified vehicles and unsafe batteries are posing great risk to high-pressure workers like delivery riders. Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to ride on the roads yet legal to buy.
“I want to be spending more on bike lanes, to be making more junctions safer, to have new technologies in speed cameras and more police reducing dangerous driving.
“We need to work with the government to manage vehicle types and create national frameworks and policies that help combat the danger of these vehicles.”
About 20 miles of new cycleways are expected to be created each year over the next three years with TfL funding, including at Nine Elms in Battersea, Streatham and Wood Lane.
There are concerns that London has no chance of achieving the mayor’s “Vision Zero” goal of zero road deaths by 2041.
Mr Norman said: “It’s an ambitious goal but there should not be a target other than zero. Collisions, crashes, fatalities – they’re all preventable.
“Other cities around the world are proving this. Oslo and Helsinki, for instance, have been successful in eliminating the number of people killed on their roads. They’ve actually got to zero.
“In comparison, London is a much larger global city that faces very different challenges. Whether we’ll get there by 2041 I’m not sure, but zero is still the right target and I’m confident that we will achieve it.”
