Author name: Steven Edwards

Cycling UK has expressed concern that the “loudest voices” are having undue influence on decisions relating to new cycle lanes. New research commissioned by the charity has revealed that people overestimate public opposition to such schemes by more than 50 per cent.
Experts have said that it is often a vocal minority who are fighting new cycling infrastructure, yet there have been any number of occasions where new schemes have been cancelled or reversed following a handful of complaints.
Cycling UK is concerned that councils often pay disproportionate attention to the loudest voices and that this is having an undue influence on decision making.
The charity cites Kent as an example, where a third of new active travel schemes have been removed following vocal local opposition.

In 1908 Henry Ford made the car affordable to all. He revolutionised car manufacturing with his Model T car, which used an assembly line production technique for the first time, making it quicker and easier to manufacture a car with less labour — and therefore reducing the sale price.
Since then, cars have dominated the transport industry. It’s not unusual for an average household to have two, even three or four, cars sat outside.
We’ve got used to having our own personal mode of transport, and it’s not something many of us want to give up. But cars are also responsible for a high proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing heavily to climate change. So is getting rid of your car, and swapping it for a bike instead, the best option if you want to reduce your environmental impact as an individual?

As part of yesterday’s spending review the 2021/22 active travel budget took a 15% hit, prompting a handful of cycling orgs to question where the Government’s priorities really lie.

Cycling UK‘s head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore reacted with disappointment, once again calling in to question the path the UK’s ‘Green Revolution’ is taking: “The Government’s ‘Gear Change’ document released in the summer set out a bold vision for cycling and walking in England, but neither that nor the promised ‘Green Revolution’ can be delivered without substantially increasing investment.

An astonishing summary of data from cycle logistics business Pedal Me has placed the cargo bike ahead of the van delivery on every metric.

Operating in London and expanding rapidly on the back of a second successful funding round, the cargo bike delivery network has shunted its model from carrying people to carrying largely cargo for businesses. The reason for this? The analysis, produced by Pedal Me Data Scientist Nicolas Collignon, does the talking when comparing the firm’s bike network against equivalent van deliveries.

27 november 2020 Fietsbeleid

Er komt een Nationaal Toekomstbeeld Fiets. Dat maakte het ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat op vrijdag 27 november bekend na de bestuurlijke overleggen met de regio’s over de investeringsprogramma’s. De Fietsersbond is enthousiast over dit voornemen.

20 November, 2020

A new 40 page briefing document has been circulated to Members of Parliament informing on everything from the economic benefits of active travel and the workings of the Cycle to Work scheme right, through to incoming micromobility trends.
Designed to be a comprehensive covering of all the FAQs politicians may wish to gather information on in response to developments in their own constituency, the document puts in black and white a research-led investment case for growing cycling’s modal share. As active travel policy is a devolved issue, the target audience is English authorities, but the content remains applicable nationwide.
Putting everything in one place the paper starts off with a briefing on the wide-ranging health benefits, headlining with a reference to the positive net impact cycling for transport has on the National Health Service.
The physical and mental benefits of building active travel in a daily routine are given weight in this Public Health England paper that supports the idea of building exercise into a transport routine.

Locals are said to be “furious” about the lane, saying the removal of parking outside Kew Gardens has led to visitors taking spaces outside their homes.
Residents of Kew Green, where coaches carrying visitors to the gardens are now being re-routed, have also expressed their worries about a rise in pollution.
The cycle lane consists of three sections roughly 500m each on both sides of the road. A system of raised posts (known as wands and armadillos) separates cyclists from vehicular traffic.
It was unveiled in late September as Richmond’s first protected cycle space and will last for 18 months with the first six acting as a consultation phase.
Cllr Alexander Ehmann (Lib Dems) is deputy leader of Richmond Council and chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee.

A popular pop-up cycle lane that featured in a government video promoting cycling investment is to be scrapped – even after the council voted to keep it. Campaigners say the decision was taken before the project had even been completed.
As we’ve previously reported, the segregated cycle lane on Upper Shoreham Road in Shoreham-on-Sea as much as tripled cycling levels without impacting car journeys. The route serves a hospital and several schools.