Donate now to stop us being robbed of our travel choices!
People want to cycle so let’s make sure they are not being robbed of the choice!
With the pending news of the government’s ‘plan for motorists’ being announced. It is going to outline plans which will strip away any opportunity for millions of families to allow their children to walk or cycle to school safely, forcing people to drive rather than enabling them to have lots of different transport choices. We must take action now!
It is expected to include moves to limit councils’ powers to place life-saving 20mph speed limits on main roads, and to restrict the number of hours a day that car traffic is banned from bus lanes.
It is also understood to include curbs on local authorities’ ability to impose fines, when drivers are caught on camera breaking the law at box junctions. Which could limit authorities’ abilities to tackle dangerous or unlawful driving.
The announcement is also expected to cite concerns about ‘15-minute cities’, an urban planning concept based around having shops and workplaces within walking and cycling distance of homes.
With your support we could:
- Campaign for major political parties to consider all road users in their general election manifestos
- Continue to research the benefits of active travel to demonstrate the case for cycling
- Raise awareness and support for the benefits of cycling, with those that might not choose to cycle yet
We need a holistic plan for how people can travel – not a plan that zooms in on one particular mode of transport. A plan that gives us the freedom to choose how we travel, maximising our ability to opt for healthy, cheap and convenient options. No.10 seems intent on undermining some of the government’s most successful transport policies of recent years. Ministers should be proud of their achievements on walking and cycling rather than ditching them in an ill-fated attempt to win support in advance of the general election
What the future could look like
People want more cycling infrastructure in their neighbourhoods, and they are willing to sacrifice space on the road for motor vehicles. Some 78% of residents in UK cities support building more separated cycle lanes, even when this could mean less space for other road traffic.
- Cycling infrastructure supports local economies. People using bikes for transport is better for the local economy and cycling creates more jobs. Town centres and high streets are suffering from economic downturn and need to be reinvigorated. Councillors need to learn from past failures and approve city and town centre developments designed for people rather than for cars
- Cycling infrastructure reduces road congestion. In 2019, congestion cost the UK economy £6.9bn, with UK road users on average losing 115 hours and £894 a year to congestion. Despite many of our roads being horrendously congested, car ownership continues to rise annually along with miles travelled by car
- Cycling infrastructure is excellent for people’s health. The World Health Organisation recognises that cycling can save lives by improving air quality and increasing physical health. This may be obvious, but it is cycling infrastructure which will enable more people to cycle and result in the significant health improvement outcomes we need for a healthier society
Cyclist fatalities on our roads in 2022 hit lowest number for 30 years
Thanks to the likes of liveable neighbourhoods, updates to the Highway Code and other road safety measures last year we saw the lowest cyclist casualties in almost 30 years. So why are we hearing that government is putting its own cycle-friendly policies into reverse? We have to put a stop to this.
We know that low traffic neighbourhoods and reduced speed limit zones work, so why are they being reviewed? Having just seen Wales embrace the 20mph speed limit it feels like a backwards step.
Join the fight for a choice on travel!
