Follow the links for the letter, the candidates responses and the contact details:
Letter sent to candidates
Jill Fraser, Liberal Democrat, Holborn and St. Pancras
Margot James, Conservative, Holborn and St. Pancras
Candidate Contact details
Letter sent to candidates
Cycling in the General Election
We are writing on behalf of cyclists in Camden to all candidates for the Holborn and St.Pancras/Hampstead and Highgate constituency to seek their views on cycling and sustainable transport issues.
The Camden Cycling Campaign Management Committee wishes to seek candidates’ commitment to the matters raised in the following manifesto which is based on a similar document produced jointly by London Cycling Campaign and the Cyclists Touring Club.
Manifesto
- Introduce a default 20 mph speed limit for most urban and residential streets;
- Increase the funding for cycle-specific traffic management schemes and cycle promotion;
- More effective traffic enforcement;
- Better integration of cycling into all transport objectives;
- Support for the extension of the Seven Stations Link and the Royal College Street cycle routes;
- Increase duty on fuel for private motor vehicles.
We would be grateful if you could let us know whether you can sign up to our manifesto. If you disagree with any individual items, please indicate clearly.
We would also like hear your ideas as to how you might help to promote cycling and sustainable transport if elected as Member of Parliament for Holborn and St.Pancras/Hampstead and Highgate.
Candidates’ responses to this letter will be communicated to our 600 members in Camden via our email list, members’ newsletter and website. We look forward to hearing from you.
Stefano Casalotti and Jean Dollimore
Joint Coordinators Camden Cycling Campaign
Replies from the candidates
Jill Fraser, Liberal Democrat, Holborn and St. Pancras
Thank you very much for your email. My views on the points you raise are:
- 1. I am in favour of a Londonwide 20 m.p.h. zone with certain exceptions on roads such as Westway.
- 2. I agree – particularly segregated cycle lanes, not mixed cycles and pedestrians.
- 3. Certainly – on both motor vehicles and cycles.
- 4 and 5. Certainly.
- 6. I agree that there is a strong case for increasing fuel duty, but it is not Liberal Democrat policy due to the hardship it would cause to rural people who have no alternative to the car due to the lack of public transport. Our long term policy when technology allows is to replace petrol and vehicle excise duty with a national road user charging system based on location, congestion and pollution (including the level of pollution of the particular vehicle). In the short term we propose to cut road tax on vehicles that pollute least, funded by increasing it on those that pollute more. We also support extension of congestion charging to congestion hot spots outside the current zone.
Our manifesto calls for reducing the road building programme and switching resources to investment in public transport, and promoting safer cycle and pedestrian routes. It also calls for policies to encourage cycling and walking by measures such as calmed traffic, more cycle routes and reforming planning rules to make sure that key services are more easily accessible by foot or bicycle.
I trust this makes our position clear but do come back to me if you have any queries.
Margot James, Conservative, Holborn and St. Pancras
Thank you for your note sent on behalf of the Camden Cycling Campaign Management Committee. I support the broad thrust of your manifesto. Cycling plays a crucial role in improving the environment, reducing traffic and improving people’s health and quality of life generally.
My views on the six questions you ask are as follows:
- 1. I support the introduction of a 20 mph limit near schools, residential homes and hospitals. This might in my view extend to all residential streets but I would not be in favour of reducing the limit from 30 to 20mph in ‘most urban streets’.
- 2. I support an increase in funding for cycle specific traffic management schemes where there is a cost effective case for provision and evidence of local support for such schemes.
- 3. The Conservative Party are in favour of more effective traffic enforcement to reduce the numbers of people who drive dangerously, beyond the speed limit, under the influence of drugs and without insurance. I support these policies.
- 4. I support the better integration of cycling into transport objectives
- 5. I need to look into the issues around the extension of the Seven Stations Link and the Royal College Street cycle routes. In line with my answer to question two above I would expect to be supportive of these proposals.
- 6. I am not in favour of increasing duty fuel for private motor vehicles. Fuel is expensive and has risen in price recently. I feel that the motorist is paying enough for the use of our roads at the moment and I would prefer to use incentives rather than penalties to reduce congestion and improve traffic management.
I trust I have answered your questions satisfactorily. I attended a hustings in last year’s GLA and London Mayor elections organised by the Camden Cyclists Campaign and I was impressed by many of the arguments I heard there.
Candidate Contact details
Holborn and St Pancras
- Frank Dobson (Labour) jepowney@hotmail.com; 8 Camden Road, London NW1 9DP
- Jill Fraser (Lib Dems) jill@jillfraser.org.uk
- Margot James (Conservative) margot.james@shirehealth.com
- Adrian Oliver (Green) 25 Parliament Hill, London NW3.
Hampstead and Highgate
- Sian Berry (Green) 25 Parliament Hill, London NW3.
- Ed Fordham (Lib Dems) ed.fordham@camdenlibdems.org.uk
- Glenda Jackson (Labour) jepowney@hotmail.com; 8 Camden Road, London NW1 9DP
- Piers Wauchope (Conservative) piers.wauchope@btconnect.com </UL
