The new transport secretary has pledged to focus on cycling policy as part of his vision for a low-carbon future.
Lord Adonis revealed his transport manifesto while announcing £5M for a project to improve cycling storage facilities at railway stations nationwide.
New cycling tsars, Chris Green and Sir Peter Hall, will recommend 10 trial stations to become ‘cycling hubs’ by the end of the summer. Lord Adonis said he eventually wanted to roll this out to see every station in the country – following in the footsteps of the Netherlands.
He also gave details of a £20M scheme to supply low-carbon and all-electric vehicles to public sector bodies by the end of the year. A number of local authorities, including Leeds City Council, Gateshead Council and Glasgow City Council will use the vehicles.
The minister said: ‘Cycling has, for too long, been the Cinderella of transport policy – adored but neglected, when in fact it ought to be central to our thinking and planning, if we are serious about a low-carbon and healthier future.’
The Campaign for Better Transport welcomed the announcement but said that cycle hubs at stations were only a ‘tiny part’ of the solution.
The group’s executive director, Stephen Joseph, said door-to-door journeys needed to be seamless – with better connections, single tickets and easily-accessible information, and this, he said, could only be achieved by the Government and local authorities working together.
‘To make this happen, Lord Adonis’ department needs a culture change – it needs to move from a “department of transport equipment” to a “department of transport for people”, giving people the travel choices and seamless journeys they need.’
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