Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman has accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of "an astonishing lack of knowledge" after he suggested that people on bikes were not "road users".

Mr Grayling's comment came in a House of Commons exchange when Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner asked him to clarify an earlier comment that cycle lanes "cause problems for road users".

Mr Zeichner also asked the Epsom and Ewell MP to explain whether he thought that cyclists were themselves road users.

The transport secretary (pictured below) responded: "Where you have cycle lanes, cyclists use cycle lanes, and motorists and other road users are the users of the roads. That is fairly straightforward."

Wandsworth Times:

Mr Boardman, who won gold in the individual pursuit at the 1992 Olympics, and broke the world hour record three times, is policy adviser to British Cycling.

He said he was "embarrassed" for Mr Grayling over his remark and offered to take the transport secretary on a bike ride to see for himself the conditions cyclists experienced on the roads.

"The Transport Secretary's comments demonstrate an astonishing lack of knowledge about how seven million people regularly use the roads in this country," said Mr Boardman (pictured below).

Wandsworth Times:
Pic credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire​

"I feel embarrassed for him. If he truly thinks the roads are not for cyclists then what am I paying my taxes for?

"Chris Grayling's government has made a commitment to double cycling levels to help tackle congestion, obesity and air pollution – three issues that are at crisis point.”

He added: "The minister should also know that segregated cycle lanes of sufficient quality are incredibly rare in Britain.

"In fact, it's going to be impossible to meet Government targets on a diminishing budget of less than £1 per head. This is in stark contrast to the Netherlands and Denmark where more than £20 per head is spent."

"If there was ever anyone who needed to actually get on a bike and hear about the true state of cycling infrastructure, it is Chris Grayling and I'd be delighted to go on a ride with him."

Grace Collingwood, 32, a Pilates instructor and a cyclist from Stoneleigh in Mr Grayling’s constituency, said: “I cycle to and from work every day on the road and to say I’m not a road user is ignorant and frankly ridiculous.

“It is astonishing that the transport secretary has such a disturbing lack of knowledge in this area and his comments will only serve to create a greater divide between motorists and cyclists when we should be working together to make the roads safer.”

From December: Video shows transport secretary and Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling knocking cyclist off bike with car door

The row comes weeks after video emerged of Mr Grayling accidentally knocking a cyclist off his bike as he opened a car door in Westminster.

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