Say yes to cheaper van, home and car insurance

Cyclists in London could be forced to have licence plates fitted to their bikes under new proposals from the mayor of London.

Ken Livingstone has announced plans to have all bicycles in the capital registered so that riders who break the law can be brought to justice.

Cyclists who ride on the pavement or jump red lights could be caught on camera and punished accordingly.

In addition the mayor has also spoken about introducing a law on jaywalking which is illegal in many countries.

Supporters of the plans believe that they will make London's roads safer and reduce the number of accidents and therefore car insurance claims.

Speaking on London's LBC radio station, Ken Livingstone outlined why he believes the changes are worthwhile.

"I think, I'm now persuaded, we should actually say that bikes and their owners should be registered," he said.

"There should be a number plate on the back so that the ones breaking the law, we can get them off the cameras. It's the only way you can do it."

On the subject of jaywalking, which involves pedestrians crossing the road other than at a designated area; for instance a zebra crossing or pedestrian crossing, Mr Livingstone said many changes would have to be made to London's roads first.

"In America jaywalking is illegal, but in America you have this situation that at virtually every busy junction there is a zebra crossing and as the lights change the pedestrian has priority and only when they've crossed can then the cars turn.

"If you are going to ban jaywalking you're going to have to have a lot more actual formal pedestrian crossings," he added.

The proposal to force people to register their bikes has come about as a result of an increased number of cyclists in London, with statistics showing there are now 50 per cent more riders on the roads than in 2001.

© Adfero Ltd