I’ve been cycling in London for nearly 20 years. Every morning I cycle into Parliament and I enjoy the exercise and the freedom to appreciate the sights and sounds of one of the world’s greatest cities.

However, the recent tragic spate of deaths on London’s roads — six in the space of just two weeks, as well as more seriously injured — has highlighted the risks cyclists face. As shadow transport secretary, I am determined to make cycling safer in the capital and across the country.

The Government promised to support cycling. But ministers shut down Cycling England — the independent body to promote cycling — and abandoned the Cycling Towns and Cities initiative which Labour introduced.

The record of the Conservative Mayor of London isn’t much better. The Cycle Superhighways that he has introduced — effectively a streak of blue paint — are no substitute for proper cycle paths that are properly segregated from traffic. His recent attempt to blame cycling deaths on risky behaviour by cyclists is both insensitive and unhelpful.

Labour’s eight-point plan for cycling aims to get more people on to two wheels more often. The more people cycle on our roads, the safer it becomes for all of us. We’re calling for an end to the Government’s stop-start approach to supporting cycling, and a move to long-term infrastructure investment, including dedicated, separate safe cycling routes. We would introduce a new Cycle Safety Assessment to cycle-proof new road schemes. Road engineers will have to include cycling at the design stage, not as an afterthought.

A Labour government would restore national targets to cut deaths and serious injuries, dropped by the current Government, alongside clear goals to increase the numbers of people cycling. We would give local authorities greater responsibility to support cycling and walking, as is the case currently in Wales.

Educating children and young people to cycle safely means there will be more confident cyclists on the road later on. So Labour would encourage investment in schemes giving children every chance to learn how to cycle.

But we also need action on heavy goods vehicles. Labour would bring in a new charter, laying down tough safety rules for HGVs. Despite making up just six per cent of traffic, they are involved in around 20 per cent of all cycling fatalities. This can’t continue.

Today I am holding a London Cycling Safety Summit in Parliament. I don’t want to wait until 2015 to start making a difference to London’s cyclists, which is why I am calling on HGV operators now to sign up to Labour’s new HGV Safety Charter. By the middle of next year, we want to see all HGVs fitted with safety kit — including rear-view cameras, rear warning signs for cyclists and flashing lights and beacons. By the end of 2017, we want all HGVs fitted with audible warning systems for drivers, sideguards and blind-spot elimination devices. And if Labour wins the 2015 election, we will legislate to make these safety features compulsory.

So let’s end the blame game and get to work to make our capital’s streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians alike. Solving the problem of cycling safety needs education, enforcement and engineering. Labour’s HGV Safety Charter is an important first step on that journey.