Cycle Disaster Law Change Debate

An MP wants changes to the law to protect cyclists after four were killed in what a coroner described as "Britain's Worst Cycling Disaster".

Thomas Harland, 14, Maurice Broadbent, 61, Dave Horrocks, 55, and Wayne Wilkes, 42, died on a practice ride on the A547  Rhuddlan Road near Abergele, Conwy, in January 2006.

Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane will lead a debate in Westminster Hall at the House of Commons later.

The Rhyl Cyling Club members died when a car skidded on ice near Abergele.

The road had not been gritted, despite warnings about icy conditions in the area.

Mr Harland, who was also on the ride and suffered a broken leg, has spoken to Mr Ruane in advance of the Commons debate, and both agreed the issues the MP would raise.

He and the MP want to see principal roads gritted and closed until passable in icy weather.

Mr Ruane, who has told North Wales Police Authority of his intention to raise the debate in the Commons, said he questioned procedures and protocols.

"If you have a look on that morning, there were four accidents, three of them involved police officers," he said.

"Were they reported properly to the control room? Did the control room act properly on the report of those accidents?"

Mr Ruane said he would be calling for icy roads to be dealt with in the same manner as an oil spill.

"If an oil spillage had occurred, the road would be cordoned off: this would be standard procedure," he said.

Mr Ruane said he also intends to focus on communication failures over road gritting, highlighting the fact that the accident occurred on a stretch of road split by the  Denbighshire-Conwy county border.