The mayor of the UK’s first cycling city is calling for compulsory road insurance for bicycle users and tougher penalties for those that mount pavements or refuse to use lights or bells.
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, an avid cyclist himself, called for change but also rejected suggestions that bicycles should carry registration plates, the Western Daily Press reported.
"The liberal - with a small 'i' - in me would resist number plates. I have a very nice bike and they'd look terrible!” the publication quoted the 69-year-old mayor as saying.
"But I do think we should all have insurance, and I do think we should get tougher on those who don't use lights, don't have a bell and people riding on pavements,” he added.
Ferguson is known for making roads more biker-friendly and for introducing policies that have been perceived as “anti-car” such as the 20mph speed limit.
But to require pedal bikers to pay for insurance is beyond Ferguson’s powers since an Act of Parliament needs to be passed to implement such rule.
Bristol was officially declared as UK’s first cycling city in 2008 and received £11 million from the government to improve bicycle access.
It boasts cycle routes on almost all its major roads, over 300 cycle parking spaces and free-to-use bike pumps around the city.
