Online petition launched to get government to Get Britain Cycling

Times journalist Kaya Burgess has launched a petition on the Government's ePetitions website in which he urges it to adopt the recommendations of the Get Britain Cycling report, published today.

Burgess has been closely involved in the newspaper's Cities Fit For Cycling campaign since its launch in February last year - the initiative followed the lfie-changing injuries suffered by his colleague and close friend, Mary Bowers, when she was hit by a lorry while cycling to work in November 2011.

You can sign the petition here - since going live 12 hours ago, it has gained nearly 6,000 signatures, and once it reaches 100,000 may be debated in the House of Commons.

The petition reads:

Promote cycling by implementing the recommendations in the 'Get Britain Cycling' report.

Responsible department: Department for Transport

We the undersigned call on the Prime Minister to pledge that the Government will implement the recommendations in the 'Get Britain Cycling' parliamentary report.

The inquiry, chaired by a cross-party panel of MPs and peers, heard that promoting cycling as a healthy and affordable way to travel can tackle Britain's obesity crisis, save millions from NHS budgets, boost the economy and reduce congestion on our roads and trains.

The inquiry’s 18 recommendations focus on reallocating investment, safer road design, lower speed limits, better training and strong political leadership.

This will require cross-departmental consensus led from the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, not just from the Department for Transport.

In the Commons on February 22, 2012, the Prime Minister said of The Times's ‘Cities Fit for Cycling’ campaign: “If we want to encourage the growth in cycling we’ve seen in recent years, we need to get behind campaigns like this.”

Now is the time to act on those words.