Rosie view of future for UK cyclists

28 November 2007

Local transport minister, Rosie Winterton, has claimed that more cycling trips could be encouraged without ‘necessarily adding expensive new infrastructure’.

She told a conference looking at the progress the six ‘cycling demonstration towns’ were making in promoting cycling that she was ‘pleased to see a focus on making the most of existing networks’.

But transport officers at the towns’ local highway authorities, awaiting a government decision on the future of the scheme’s funding, said there was a need for significant, long-term investment.

Reports on the £16.8M demonstration projects reveal, after just two years, there have been increases in the proportion of trips made by bicycle. Darlington, for instance, has increased cycling by between 40-60%, according to surveys. The minister highlighted that the gains had been made largely without the installation of large-scale infrastructure.

Winterton noted that Darlington had 10,000 residents to join its sustainable travel supporters club, while Brighton & Hove had contacted almost 20,000 households as part of its personalised travel planning programme.

The statement comes as Cycling England waits for a decision on its bid to extend the programme – which received £8.4M in Whitehall funds for six towns – to 10 further towns and one city. Owen Wilson, Darlington principal transport officer, said it was true that the council had secured a 40-60% rise in cycling – around 2,700 extra trips a day – by 2006, mainly down to its travel-awareness campaign, and ‘before significant infrastructure changes’.

But, while much could be done to change travel habits, ‘we need infrastructure improvements to help overcome people’s fear of traffic’, he said. The £1.5M from Cycling England, matched by £1.5M from the council’s resources, was allowing Darlington to change the situation where there were few dedicated cycle lanes. Without further Cycling England funds, ‘the scale of what can be delivered would be of a different order’.

Dean Spears, principal transport planner at Brighton & Hove, claimed that authorities could improve the experience of cycling without cycling demonstration town funds. But while the authority was willing to spend its own resources – £4M of its £6M local transport plan funds in 2009, its ‘year of cycling’ – further Cycling England funding would allow the works to bring 75% of the city’s residents within a 10-minute ride of a segregated cycle freeway.

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login

Sign In

Rosie view of future for UK cyclists

order biaxin tablets

buying biaxin

ordering clarithromycin

Register now for full access

Login