Boardman: Our roads are too risky to cycle
CHRIS BOARDMAN has said Britain’s roads are too dangerous to cycle on.
The former cyclist, who won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and several stages of the Tour de France, says he avoids riding on UK roads as he finds them “exhausting” and unpleasant.
“The roads are statistically safe, but it doesn’t look or feel it. Now I try to do more of my riding off-road, which is sad,” he told The Guardian.
Boardman, who is the cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “I’m looking at parked cars, seeing which way wheels are turning as well as everything that is going on around me. It’s just exhausting. But if I ride on a track or a trail I don’t have to do that.”
He said he would like to see “billions” spent on redesigning the streets of Greater Manchester, adding that he is looking into the possibility of closing parts of Manchester city centre to mo- torised traffic.
Boardman’s mother, Carol, was killed last year riding her bike in Deeside. He stopped cycling and has only recently got back in the saddle.
The 49-year-old, from Hoylake on the Wirral, was appointed as commissioner by Andy Burnham, the city’s mayor.
Within a 10-year time frame, he wants to encourage at least 10 per cent of people to cycle or walk rather than drive. Currently less than two per cent of Greater Manchester does so.
Boardman said he prefers the phrase “person on a bike” to the word “cyclist”.