New transport minister's son says,"what exactly is the point of your job?"

Philip Hammond, Conservative MP for Runnymede and Weybridge and the Transport secretary these last two weeks, loves his Jaguar, has three points on his driving license and has never ridden a bicycle in London.

He today told Joe Murphy, the Political Editor of the London Evening Standard today, how his 11-year-old son has already asked him that if the trains being late is Network Rail's fault and the Mayor is to blame for London's roads being dug up, "what exactly is the point of your job?"

What will be a particular disappointment for bike riders, especially since his predecessor Lord Adonis is such an enthusiast, is his apparent view on cycling. He was asked if he would consider riding a bike to work from his accommodation in Pimlico, perhaps a mile distant, “I've never actually cycled in London. I'd have to take a deep breath. I think you need to know what you are doing to cycle in London.”

But he does think that cycling needs to be made safer, “Cyclists need to be more aware of the risks around them. It frightens me to death when I see them pull out around other cyclists, completely unaware there is a car behind. Maybe they need wing mirrors.”