London appoints first ever full-time cycling commissioner

A director with sports gear giant Nike was named Tuesday as London's first ever full-time walking and cycling commissioner.

With an annual salary of around 125,000 U.S. dollars, Will Norman will work closely with the Mayor Sadiq Khan to help deliver his pledge to get more Londoners of all ages and backgrounds more active by walking and cycling more.

As part of the capital's biggest ever focus on walking and cycling, the new commissioner will work closely with the mayor's team and Transport for London (TfL) to make healthy, active, non-polluting travel easier in London.

It will include pushing forward with the mayor's Healthy Streets program to create a safer, more pleasant London for cyclists and pedestrians, and investing a record budget of 770 million pounds on infrastructure and initiatives to promote cycling.

"I'm determined to make walking and cycling safer and easier for all Londoners, which is why I'm providing more investment than ever before, and appointing a Commissioner to focus full-time on this vital area of work," Mayor Khan said.

Norman, one of 152 people who applied for the job, takes up his new role in February. Endit