VOTE CYCLING

he Cities Fit for Cycling campaign at The Times

has, since 2012, been calling for a rethink of the
way we design Britains towns and cities. Our
roads are clogged with trafc jams, trains and
buses are overcrowded, the NHS is spending billions on an
obesity crisis, and many people are priced out of transport by
high petrol prices and rising rail fares. Investing in networks of
safe cycle routes would encourage more people to commute by
bicycle, thereby helping to address all of these problems.
No other form of transport infrastructure is as affordable
or cost-effective. Successive governments have consistently
failed to ring-fence a signicant annual fund for cycling
provision from within the transport budget. The Times
has been joined by the AA, British Cycling, the Commons
transport committee and Top Gears James May in supporting
calls for an annual budget of 10 per capita. We urge all parties
to pledge this fund in their election manifestos. Britain leads
the world in competitive cycling it is time we did the same
for our commuters.
John Witherow
Editor
thetimes.co.uk/cyclesafety
In support
of
T
Get Britain
Cycling
Summary &
Recommendations
Get Britain
Cycling
Summary &
Recommendations
The
PROBLEMS
The
SOLUTION
2
The NHS spends
5bn a year treating
conditions relating to
obesity and 10bn a year
treating diabetes
1
Britains roads are clogged
with trafic jams.
A quarter of all car
journeys in Britain are
under two miles and
59% are under five miles
4
High petrol prices and
rising rail fares are making
transport unafordable
for many
6
Public transport has
become extremely
overcrowded at rush hour
5
Pollution is reaching
dangerous levels in urban
areas Londons nitrogen
dioxide levels are above
even Beijings
7
High street sales have
slumped as retailers
struggle to attract
customers
3
The number of cyclists
seriously injured on
Britains roads has risen
by 30% in the past
five years
1
Encourage people to
make short trips by bicycle
instead of by car, freeing
up the roads for important
journeys and deliveries
2
Boost public health by
allowing people to build
physical activity into their
daily routine
3
Vastly reduce the death
and injury toll for cyclists
and reduce the perceived
risks that deter people
from cycling
4
Provide an afordable
alternative for
communities
cut of by high
transport costs
6
Relieve the burden on
trains and buses at
rush hour
5
Reduce emissions
as people leave their
cars at home
7
Allow for easy cycle access
to high street shops and
boost the number of
short-stay customers
The government must ring-fence
an annual fund of 10 per capita
for safe cycle routes from within
the transport budget and allow
councils to bid for it. This would:
4.3bn
The annual cost of trafic
congestion to the UK economy
A two-way, segregated cycle
route is to be built on Londons
Embankment and will carry an
estimated 1,000 cyclists per hour
This is equal to . . .
Four full Tube trains
1,000 single-occupancy cars
Cycle lanes cost between
100,000 and 1.2m per mile to
build, compared to 13m per mile
for dual carriageway roads and
130m per mile for HS2
Health experts told a
parliamentary inquiry last
year that the NHS could make
4 of savings for every 1
invested in cycling
If the UK matched Dutch
levels of investment in cycling,
this would lead to 1.6bn of
NHS savings each year
In 2004, 2,147 cyclists were
killed or seriously injured,
rising to 3,143 by 2013.
In 2012, Times research
found that 122 cyclists died. Of
these, 16 were teenagers and
five were children. A fifth were
killed by lorries, though HGVs
only make up 5 per cent of
trafic.
The 2014 crisis in Iraq will
add 4p per litre to the price of
petrol, experts have warned.
Rail fares have increased by
20.5% since 2010.
The average cost of
commuting to work by train is
2,440 per year and by car it is
4,800. By bicycle, this cost is
around 180
1 1
1
1
1
A car emits about 271g of
carbon dioxide per kilometre
per passenger. Travelling by
bus, this falls to 101g of CO2.
By bicycle, even factoring in
the food you eat, this is just
21g per kilometre
The governments Rail 2020
report found: There has been
a steady but significant
increase in the numbers of
commuters, leading to regular
overcrowding in the peaks.
Providing safe cycle routes
encourages people to abandon
alternative modes of transport,
freeing up space. If you build it,
they will come.
The addition of
protected cycle
lanes on 9th Avenue
in New York led to a
49% increase in
retail sales,
compared to a 3%
uplift for shops on
other local streets.
Cyclists tend to
spend less per visit,
but visit more
regularly, leading to
a boost in sales.
Children
4%
Teenagers
16%
4,800
180
2,440
1
2 3
6
7
4 5
271g
pkm
101g
pkm
21g
pkm
49% 3%
4.3bn
The annual cost of trafic
congestion to the UK economy
A two-way, segregated cycle
route is to be built on Londons
Embankment and will carry an
estimated 1,000 cyclists per hour
This is equal to . . .
Four full Tube trains
1,000 single-occupancy cars
Cycle lanes cost between
100,000 and 1.2m per mile to
build, compared to 13m per mile
for dual carriageway roads and
130m per mile for HS2
Health experts told a
parliamentary inquiry last
year that the NHS could make
4 of savings for every 1
invested in cycling
If the UK matched Dutch
levels of investment in cycling,
this would lead to 1.6bn of
NHS savings each year
In 2004, 2,147 cyclists were
killed or seriously injured,
rising to 3,143 by 2013.
In 2012, Times research
found that 122 cyclists died. Of
these, 16 were teenagers and
five were children. A fifth were
killed by lorries, though HGVs
only make up 5 per cent of
trafic.
The 2014 crisis in Iraq will
add 4p per litre to the price of
petrol, experts have warned.
Rail fares have increased by
20.5% since 2010.
The average cost of
commuting to work by train is
2,440 per year and by car it is
4,800. By bicycle, this cost is
around 180
1 1
1
1
1
A car emits about 271g of
carbon dioxide per kilometre
per passenger. Travelling by
bus, this falls to 101g of CO2.
By bicycle, even factoring in
the food you eat, this is just
21g per kilometre
The governments Rail 2020
report found: There has been
a steady but significant
increase in the numbers of
commuters, leading to regular
overcrowding in the peaks.
Providing safe cycle routes
encourages people to abandon
alternative modes of transport,
freeing up space. If you build it,
they will come.
The addition of
protected cycle
lanes on 9th Avenue
in New York led to a
49% increase in
retail sales,
compared to a 3%
uplift for shops on
other local streets.
Cyclists tend to
spend less per visit,
but visit more
regularly, leading to
a boost in sales.
Children
4%
Teenagers
16%
4,800
180
2,440
1
2 3
6
7
4 5
271g
pkm
101g
pkm
21g
pkm
49% 3%
The
EVIDENCE
EDMUND KING, PRESIDENT OF THE AA
[An annual cycling budget] would bring
tangible business and economic benefits
by reducing congestion, absenteeism,
NHS costs and by producing a more
creative and active workforce
C
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G
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GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Sir Richard Branson said: Getting more people out
of their cars and on their bikes could make a real
contribution to the economy and businesses by
getting people fit and boosting productivity.
John Cridland, director general of the CBI, said
Britain needs a major efort to expand a dedicated
cycle network.
John Allan, chairman of the Federation of Small
Businesses, said getting more people to cycle to work
would help both the health of the high street as well
as the nation.
House prices are boosted when they are close to
cycle routes, Sustrans research found.
Building cycle routes improves the public realm, says
Phil Jones, a leading transport planner: Places that
are pleasant to visit and live near do so much for the
economy.
Businesses like Deloitte, Barclays, Sainsburys
and CitiBank have declared their support for cycle
investment.
Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical oficer, said:
Improving the environment for walking and cycling
reaches people from all socio-economic groups.
The Department for
Transport, along with
devolved governments
around the UK, must
create a budget line
worth 10 per head of
population, creating a
ring-fenced annual fund
for cycling investment.
This would create a 600 million national
budget, with 400 million from the DfT (just
3% of the transport budget) for England outside
of London. This would allow councils to bid for
funding by presenting plans for approval.
THIS BUDGET SHOULD BE USED FOR:
A greatly expanded Cycling Towns and
Cities initiative, funding local proposals to
create safe cycle networks over time.
A support package to create national
standards for cycle-friendly design,
amending planning guidelines to insist
that all road and trafic schemes are cycle-
proofed from the outset.
Improved cycle access and parking at rail
stations and provision to take bicycles on
public transport.
Making Bikeability training available for all
primary and secondary school children.
A drive to compel hauliers and freight
companies to fit extra sensors, mirrors and
cameras to their lorries, as in London. Safer
lorry cabs and restrictions on HGV numbers
on urban streets must also be considered.
Making 20mph the default speed limit on
urban roads.

If youre just going a couple of miles down

the road, it would be more beneficial to go by
bike than sitting in a car in a traffic jam for
two miles. Youd get there quicker, it would
be cheaper for you, you might enjoy it and it
would be part of your normal fitness regime
as well
DAME KELLY HOLMES
C
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SIR CHRIS HOY
If we want to inspire a transformation in
communities across Britain, making them
happier and healthier, cycling needs to be
prioritised. There has never been a better
moment to do this
C
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A
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1 Appoint a senior
oficial within the
council with a target
for increasing cycle
numbers in the
region.
4 Install cycle racks on high
streets, in business districts, in
residential areas, near schools
and universities, at shopping
centres, in parks and at leisure
destinations
2 Examine the road network
in the local area, especially
stretches of highway or junctions
with high levels of congestion or
high collision rates.
3 Ask planners to look at how the
section could be redesigned with
cycle routes and safer junctions. It
would not only allow motorists,
cyclists and pedestrians to share the
space more safely, but could also
transform the area into a more
pleasant public space
5 Bid for and set aside funding
for cycle-friendly projects. Plot
current cycle routes and draw
up plans for a network to be
delivered over time, as
currently required by the
Active Travel Act in Wales.
6 Ensure all schools in the area
take up Bikeability training.
Advertise safe routes and ofer
cycle training to residents.
C
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H
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They then need to
commission a number of designs
and have an open process of
consultation on those. It does not
have to cost millions of pounds. A
council can have a vision that it
works towards incrementally,
collecting money from
developments along the way.
Phil Jones
transport planning consultant at
Phil Jones Associates
HOW COUNCILS
CAN USE
THESE FUNDS
LONDON IS NOT BRITAINS
ONLY CYCLING CITY
The governments funding
for cycling has only been
handed out in irregular
grants with no guarantee
of future funding and no
dedicated budget line, unlike
for roads and rail.
Authorities in the rest
of the country cannot
plan networks of cycle
superhighways to rival those
in the capital.
They cannot plan ahead and
schedule major cross-city
routes or quietways between
key destinations.
91m
Annual spend
for cycle
provision
in London
They cannot target collision
blackspots and create a
schedule to renovate them
because there is no long-
term funding.
In the capital, more than
half of the trafic on Thames
bridges is made up of cyclists
in rush hour. On some major
roads, a quarter of the trafic
is made up of bikes.
Until there is a national
cycling budget to rival the
money pledged in London,
other towns and cities in
Britain will never catch up.
Transport for London has committed 913 million to cycle
provision over the next decade. Which equates to:
Estimated
annual
spend for rest of
England combined
74m
Compared with:

JAMES MAY, TOP GEAR PRESENTER

The benefits to driving if people ride
bicycles is that there is more space left
for driving. I would say that the roads
belong to everybody
R
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