Chris Boardman wants London's roads safer

CHRIS Boardman, one of the brains behind British Cycling's success in Beijing, has called for a complete transformation of the streets of London.

Boardman, who won cycling gold in Barcelona in 1992 and is equipment and technical manager for Team GB, believes an overhaul is needed to make the roads safe for cyclists.

Following Britain's cycling success in Beijing where they claimed 14 medals, the sport has significantly increased in popularity with more and more Brits taking to the saddle.

And the 40-year-old star, who broke the Hour Record on three separate occasions, revealed he would be more than happy to lend Mayor of London Boris Johnson a helping hand.

"In order to make cycling in London viable Boris Johnson really needs to make some ballsy decisions, and now is the time to do it," said Boardman.

"At the moment cars have priority and that has to change. People just do not feel safe on the roads. We need to completely rethink the allocation of road space, and it is more than making cycle lanes wider.

"I would absolutely love to speak to Boris Johnson about this. I think he has to make his move now."

Kensington and Chelsea council is already testing a scheme for cyclists to be exempt from one-way road restrictions after hundreds of cyclists were found to be flouting the rules.

A spokesperson for Johnson said: "The Mayor shares Chris Boardman's passion for cycling [and] has committed £55million to be spent on cycling commitments."