Grayling challenged over "less than £1 per head" for cycling after he downgrades bike use

The transport secretary Chris Grayling has been taken to task over the DfT's support for cycling after comments in which he appeared to downgrade cycling as a mode of transport.

Cycling policy advisor Chris Boardman wrote in The Guardian yesterday that Grayling's remarks in Parliament in which he implied cyclists were not road users, was "symptomatic of a lack of insight and understanding on this issue from our elected representatives". He said that cyclists did not have to use cycle lanes, as Grayling suggested, "the majority of which are inconvenient, poorly-maintained and often dangerous," but the whole of the road.

He added that the "modest" Government target to double the number of journeys will "never materialise" without leadership from ministers - but when the cycle cities ambition progamme finishes next year, "the Department's spending on cycling will be less than £1 per head compared with the £15bn being spent on roads". He added that he would like to take Grayling cycling, pointing out "it is quicker, more reliable, and less stressful than being stuck in Clapham Junction during a rail strike, as he was this week".