British Cycling welcomes Think! Cyclist campaign
British Cycling cautiously welcomes the launch of a government Think! Cyclist awareness campaign that will take place across six cities in England.
The campaign, a partnership between Transport for London and the Department for Transport, is the first paid-for media campaign aimed at both drivers and cyclists, giving practical advice on how to deal with certain situations on the road.
The advice from Think! consists of a series of tips designed to be balanced in their approach and to educate both drivers and cyclists about the correct way to drive and ride and therefore reduce the number of incidents on the road.
British Cycling's Campaigns Manager, Martin Key, said: 'British Cycling has long championed the need for a driver and cyclist awareness campaign. It is vital when talking about safety on the roads that we don't get a 'them and us' mentality emerging between drivers and cyclists.'
The key campaign messages are:
- Drivers, look out (for cyclists) when getting out
- Cyclists, ride a door's width from parked cars
- Drivers, look out for cyclists at junctions
- Cyclists, ride central on narrow roads
The campaign, which has been running in London throughout October, is now being extended to cover Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cambridge.
The Think! Cyclist campaign will feature roadside advertising enabling campaigners to reach and remind drivers and cyclists at the point when problems can occur and when the behaviour of both parties is most likely to be positively influenced.
