WEST MIDLANDS Mayor, Andy Street is calling for greater traffic powers to prosecute those who put pedestrians and cyclists at risk by parking dangerously.
In a letter to the Department for Transport he also called for an increase in funding for cycle routes and schemes to an average of £10 per head by 2023.
His call came after the governemnt department launched its consultation on a national cycling and walking strategy to encourage alternatives to the car.
Mr Street said: “We have made some significant progress in the West Midlands over the last 12 months in terms of improvements in the cycling infrastructure and promoting walking and cycling.
“But we need to be looking to the next stage, to making sure these superhighways become part of a network, not pieces of standalone infrastructure.
“And we need to make sure that the people who hire the bikes are able to use safe infrastructure.”
Mr Street added in his letter to Under Secretary of State for Transport Jesse Norman MP, he asked the MP to work with the WMCA and TfWM on a host of measures which he believes will make it safer for people to walk and cycle.
Coun Roger Lawrence, transport lead on the WMCA, said: “We’re seeing an unprecedented level of investment in public transport in the West Midlands which will have a major impact on traffic congestion.
“One of the most important ways we can do this is by improving the conditions for cycling and walking.
“While excellent progress is being made, the call for evidence from the Department for Transport is an opportunity to push for even greater investment, powers and devolution to accelerate the work currently taking place.”
