Drive to curb Capital's aggressive roads culture
A campaign called 'Share the Road' has been launched to reverse London's reputation for aggressive driving and cycling.
Jumping red lights, cycling on the pavement and parking in cycle lanes are among the bad habits being targeted.
Cycling broadcaster Jack Thurston said it was drivers, not cyclists, who caused the worst accidents. "If you are calculating who to come down on the hardest, you ought to be looking at where the road traffic injuries and fatalities are coming from," he said. "And from all the statistical analysis - they are not coming from cyclists."
Transport for London (TfL) is keen for more people to take up cycling and is in the process of creating a £147m network of cycle routes - the London Cycle Network Plus, due to be completed by 2010.
Driving and cycling in London can be a stressful experience. One poll suggested men in London are the UK's most aggressive drivers.
Traffic cameras in the city reportedly catch almost 10,000 drivers a month jumping red lights, while a survey by the RAC found that up to 50% of cyclists in central London completely disregarded traffic lights.
In July, London's mayor Ken Livingstone said he was considering number plates for cyclists in a bid to improve standards. Last week he said he wanted to see a shift in culture on the roads, where aggressive driving was considered unacceptable.
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