Back me and I'll bike it to Brussels – Green candidate's pledge after Bristol named first cycling city

The Green Party's lead candidate in the South West at next year's European elections has urged other towns and cities to follow Bristol's lead and back the bike.

Cycling England has picked Bristol, along with 11 other towns across the country, to get £11 million of government money to improve cycle ways and provide on-street cycle hire networks.

It's the only place in the South West to be chosen and the Green Party's Ricky Knight believes the scheme must be extended.

'All the South West's urban areas such as Exeter, Plymouth, Swindon, Taunton and Gloucester deserve to become 'cycling cities', with safe and convenient cycle routes and on-street bike rental networks. We also need to make sure that all children have access to training to make sure they are safe. Greens would secure the funding to make this happen.

'We need to make the roads safe for everyone and reduce the number of cars. We know it's good for us, it's good for the environment, and it is also a lot more fun than sitting in traffic.'

3% to 4% of journeys in Bristol are made by bike. Cllr Knight argues that this number can be hugely increased as in other European cities like Amsterdam and Paris.

And, if he wins a South West seat in next June's election, he'll be pedalling his way to Brussels.

'How could I send a better message about our commitment to the environment and improving people's quality of life than cycling to work?' says Knight.  And he adds the offer is open to anyone who wishes to join him.