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Contents
Page 2 Strategic Routes Page 3 2001 Where Now? Page 6 National Bk Wk Page 6 Is There Hope? Page 7 Transport Plan Page 8 Mtg with Police Authority Page 8 Joining info Page 8 Contact info |
LOCAL AND GLOBAL....
Bradford,
despite the petrol-headed character of much of its elected and unelected
representatives, has made a noble-ish step towards an integrated transport
system with the publication of the Local Transport Plan for West Yorkshire.
There’s a fair bit for cyclists in it - you can get the whole thing on-line
at www.westyorkshire-ltp.co.uk.
Worth looking at if only to make sure that the bits that could improve
your life as a cycle commuter or cycle tourer or cycle speedster, etc,
actually do happen....More on the LTP inside. The LTP process is a spark
of hope - whereas the government’s ‘turn round’ on transport more widely
(more road building, ditching targets for traffic reduction, lower targets
for increasing cycling) is as dumb as it gets. And with Mr Bush ‘elected’
in some sense as the US President (election campaign funds coming from,
in particular, oil companies), things are sure to get rather more confrontational
between governments and the environmental/transport/cycling lobbies. Where
are you swampy?
The 60 day deadline for the petrol lobby came and went, and basically the government compromised, though less than your cynical editor feared it would. Well they’ve got an election coming up, so what could you expect? What impressed me in the 60 day interim was that the argument was clearly won by the environmentalists and integrated transport lobby - where respectable professors and academics came out and said as bluntly as academics could ever do that the petrol lobby was mortgaging the next generation to dramatic climate change (especially for the poorer countries of the 2/3’rds world, but also for us) and a degraded environment for both humans and other, just as important, creatures (if we even give them space to exist). Of course, winning an argument doesn’t change much. Driving has become a form of addictive behaviour to which, as when you’re hooked on heroin, neither reason nor human compassion can make any difference. Can anyone think of an equivalent to methadone for the petrol addict?
Ed.
UPDATE
ON STRATEGIC ROUTE DEVELOPMENT
Strategic, or long distance routes are important to cyclists for many reasons including:
· They give stretches of route for cycling
which are long enough to satisfy the needs of cyclists
· They are usually off-road or contain off-road
sections
· They are safe and suitable for families
· They have been planned with the user groups
in mind
· They are enjoyable and easy to follow,
often without resorting to a map
We have been very short of such routes in Bradford but at last there is good news to tell. The two routes which will be developed in the near future have been on our agenda for a long time and are now on the statutory bodies’ agenda. They are:
The Spen Valley Route
This route is nearing completion in Kirklees and
will be extended into Bradford soon. It is a disused railway route
with access for walkers, cyclists and horse riders and provides an amazing
safe route over the top of the M62 on an old railway bridge. The
latest news is that David Hall, Sustrans Regional Manager has reported
that funding is available to begin on the Bradford section this year.
The route into Bradford passes alongside the Transperience site where
negotiations are taking place with the owner to
secure a route. It then continues into the city centre by a variety
of facilities, on and off-road. This type of route is always more
difficult to complete as each section brings its own negotiations and its
own problems but officers are pursuing options.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool canal is an obvious route for developing for cyclists. It links Bradford and Leeds through attractive countryside and offers the potential for commuter trips. The condition of the towpath has made it rather difficult until now to cycle along it. Many sections of towpath are badly surfaced and the barriers require agile over-water manoeuvres with bicycle in one hand and the other hand clinging to the barrier! Not only that but British Waterways did not permit cycling on the urban sections anyway!
The breakthrough came with a Local Transport Plan settlement letter asking West Yorkshire local authorities to prepare plans for immediate work on strategic cycle routes. The Leeds Liverpool canal was chosen and British Waterways were supportive. The barriers have now been removed between Shipley and Leeds and work will begin soon on re-surfacing. Surface improvements were due to start in 2000 but were delayed due to problems of flooding and land-slips.
Finally we hear there is also good news on Bradford’s
parks. Each summer Bradford families look for somewhere to cycle
safely with their children and are told that by-laws prevent cycling in
the parks. Not any more! The council had been promising to
revise the by-laws for years but have actually now done it! There
is hopefully now nothing to stop children from enjoying their local parks
on a cycle.
Pam Ashton.
New Millennium, five years on from the launch of the National Cycling Strategy, four years into this Government, two years since the publication of the Integrated Transport Strategy, first operational year of Local Transport Plans …..it all ought to be looking really good for cyclists and, as we all know, what's good for cyclists is good for air quality, for the built environment and the quality of life of everyone.
Eight years ago, coming from nowhere in both the
public perception and political priorities with the transport and environment
issues moving up the agenda, we were bound to make some spectacular early
gains. Locally we were in the right place at the right time with
Local Authority transport departments having to learn some new language
and having to learn to speak about different priorities to the mantra of
"traffic, road capacity, predict and provide" and the super-highway building
stuff of every aspiring traffic engineers' career. We helped get
cycling taken seriously in transport planning, found unexpected sympathetic
ears within the Authorities, contributed to the strategies and commented
in detail on the plans, got the phrase, "and cycling" into the relevant
politicians speeches. Got some good press and, more often than anyone
has a right to expect, had some fun doing it. Recently our "progress"
has been slowed by two causes. The first is a political reversal.
The second is the "routinism" that happens when projects get inside the
administrative machine. The political reversal isn't direct and may
not be obvious. After all the National Cycling Strategy and its targets
are still in place, Local Transport Plans for 2001 onwards commit an
unprecedented amount to expenditure on cycling,
we still get consulted by officers….and so on. But the "targets"
in the NCS are permissive and the document itself remains a framework guidance
document not backed by legislation. More important, the triumphal
announcement of the Integrated Transport Strategy by John Prescott, with
its vision of reversing motor car dependence, fell foul of the Prime minister's
Office's fears of a "middle England backlash". Gus Macdonald was
elevated to the peerage, given the Transport brief and it was made clear
that he and he alone was the authoritative voice on transport matters.
A road building review was set up and the near-freeze on new road building
was replaced by approval in principle of 77 "congestion easing schemes".
As a speaker at the Royal Geographical Society Conference recently pointed
out, this government is now supporting more road building than their predecessors.
That sends a subtle but clear message back into the transport planning
and design departments - don't tear up those road schemes yet, good times
for road builders may yet again roll. Meawhile, the well orchestrated
late summer "fuel crisis" can have only increased No 10's anxieties over
"motor voter" power.
Besides we all understood that for an Integrated Transport Strategy to work there had to be an effective combination of sticks to deter vehicle use combined with very obvious carrots of improved public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure and, dare we say it, "education, education and education", particularly on the environmental cost of inaction. Any good intentions have been drowned out in the railway collapse fiasco, lack of public transport investment, the clamour over fuel costs and car plant closures. A recent routine RAC survey showed a record high 86% of respondents staying it would be difficult to adjust their lifestyles to being without their cares and the number willing to switch to public transport falling from 45% at the time of the election to 36% now (Guardian,24/01/01). Why should that have any bearing on cycling? Because of the simple fact that, in survey after survey, the main reason people say they are put off cycling is perceived traffic danger. And in the absence of policy initiatives from the centre, the numbers of vehicles on the roads grow exponentially. I don't have to tell anyone who cycles around our city regularly that traffic density is growing and consequent driver behaviour becoming worse.
I
think what the Government is doing is repeating a formula learned from
their predecessors. They can appear to be the good guys to the powerful
lobbies and voting groups who would be upset by strong transport legislation.
At the same time they give Local Authorities the discretionary power to
appear to be the bad guys who restrict the divine right to drive by way
of congestion charging, city centre parking charges and the rest.
The willingness of any authority to "do the right thing" is politically
sensitive and I wouldn't be making bets in Bradford under the
current circumstances. All doom and gloom
then? No, we have a policy framework, we have a Department of Transport
pushing Local Authorities to deliver cycle friendly policies and we still
have access to the policy process. We have a lot of work to do in
2001. Not least stopping "cycling" becoming just another routine
item somewhere the bottom of some officer's agenda. We need to campaign
for more measures that assert cycling as a sensible and responsible means
of transport and assert our right to be on the road. We need to point
out and celebrate the number of people who are already out there, every
day, day in, day out. We need to get funding for cycle training,
get a good demonstration model "safe routes to schools" project in place
that includes cycling. And …and…… the limit of course is the time and energy
we can find between us to do things.
And without being smug about it, cyclists are fitter, live longer, look younger and reduce global warming and climate change. So lets enjoy and help others to enjoy!
Pete
Latarche
What would you like to see happen in National Bike Week this year? Any creativity and energy will be happily received! The following is the provisional suggestion - but it doesn’t exclude more events being added so get thinking... Comments to Mike Healey - contact details on back page
There’s some good stuff in it. Details on the LTP website, but it includes:
Ed.
On the evening of Wednesday 8th November 2000 a gathering of around 40 cyclists from cycling groups in West Yorkshire gathered in Leeds Civic Hall. They were all invited to the Leeds Cycling Consultation meeting to both celebrate the 50th meeting of the Leeds Cycling Forum and to meet the Chair of the West Yorkshire Police Authority, Councillor Neil Taggart. Most of those present had come expecting to raise concerns of lack of enforcement and poor liaison with West Yorkshire Police.
Councillor Taggart began by apologising for being on his own. The senior police officer nominated to attend had reported sick at the last moment. This was not very well received by the cyclists present and many of those present asked that their concerns be remitted to the senior police ranks. However Neil Taggart then told the meeting that he was pro-cycling and recognised that the Policing Plan – Guide to Action contained very little on road safety or cycling. He then somewhat took the wind out of everyone present’s sails by making an offer of a forum to be held approximately 6 monthly, at which West Yorkshire cyclists could meet with senior representatives from District Highways Authorities, the Highways Agency, Divisional Police Authorities and the West Yorkshire Police Authority who would service and administer the forum. The main aims of the forum will be to raise awareness of, and influence cycling policy, and foster a change in attitude towards aspects of traffic policing that affect cycling. The meeting was pleased to accept this offer and we look forward to the first meeting.
Pam Ashton
BCAG NEEDS YOU! If you’re already a member, a renewal form will be enclosed with this newsletter. If you’re not a member, well become one, now!, it’s the least you can do for your planet, your city, your bike, your health, your sanity, etc. Send a cheque (£5 waged, £2 unwaged) made payable to ‘BCAG’ to the Treasurer, listed below, and enclose your name, address, e-mail/telephone. If you want a nice handy form to send in, click here - (it uses acrobat reader - should be preinstalled on your average computer....)
Secretary - Barry West e-mail Barry.West@bcag.fsnet.co.uk
Treasurer - Pete Latarche (Bfd 482176) e-mail
pyotr@legend.co.uk
Bikerights editor Steve Carr (Bfd 734723 e-mail
smcarr@zetnet.co.uk
BCAG meet every third Tuesday at 7pm at the Resources
Centre on Chapel St., Bradford
WEBSITE: www.geocities.com/bradfordbikes - er -
that's where you are now...
