The government is also considering cyclists receiving license penalty points and fines if they break speed limits or run red lights, the Daily Mail reported. It comes as transport secretary Grant Shapps proposed a Whitehall review into how law-breaking cyclists can be caught by police. “Somewhere where cyclists don’t actually break the law is speeding, and that can’t be right, so I definitely recommend extending speed limit restrictions to cyclists,” he said. “Especially where you have 20mph limits on increasing numbers of roads, cyclists can easily exceed them, so I want speed limits for cyclists to apply. “That obviously leads you to the question of ‘well, how are you going to identify the cyclist, you need number plates and insurance and things like that.’ So I suggest a review of insurance and how you actually monitor cyclists who break the law [via identifiable markings].” In recent years there has been an increase in the number of people using bikes to get around and it is understood that the government is keen to implement any new rules especially in 20mph zones. Compulsory insurance for cyclists is also on the table, with Shapps keen to carry out a review, despite the fact that he may no longer be in the role when a new prime minister is elected by Conservative party members on September 5. He added: “I don’t want to stop people getting on their bikes. It’s a fantastic way to travel, we’ve seen a big boom in cycling during Covid and since then, I think it has a lot of health benefits. “But I don’t see any reason why cyclists should be breaking traffic laws, why they should be speeding, why they should be able to run red lights and be able to get away with it.” If riders injure or kill pedestrians, mandatory insurance would allow the victims or their families to secure compensation in the same way they could claim if someone were hit by a car or truck. It is not the first time in recent weeks that the transport secretary has targeted cyclists. Earlier this month he said legislation was needed to “impress on cyclists the real harm they can cause when speed is combined with a lack of care”.
