Commitment to Cycling

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'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry moves onto local authorities and London

By Chris Peck on 27 February 2013
Local authorities, campaigners and representatives from London were scrutinised by MPs and Peers from the All Party Cycling Group in the fifth and penultimate session of the Get Britain Cycling inquiry.
Cycle parking with a cycle path running through it in Groningen, NL

The session commenced with a panel of campaign groups - as usual, each being asked to explain what, in their opinion, was needed to Get Britain Cycling.

Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport Campaigner for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, started the discussion, said that cycling needed to be seen as part of the wider transport mix for rural as well as urban areas. 

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New law for better cycle paths in Wales

By Chris Peck on 18 February 2013
The Welsh Government has proposed a new law placing a duty on local authorities to map the walking and cycling routes in their area and make a plan and budget to improve them. Wales is being touted as the first country for such law to be introduced.
The NCN8 near Caernarfon alongside a major road

The Welsh Government's proposals have been brought before the Welsh Assembly as the Active Travel Bill Wales 2013, following a consultation in 2012. 

It's a highly ambitious set of proposals which will force local authorities to identify, map out and improve the walking and cycling networks in their area.

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Chris Boardman speaks at cycling inquiry

By Roger Geffen on 12 February 2013
After Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman joined health experts and others to give evidence at today's Get Britain Cycling inquiry hearing, CTC has expressed dismay that the government departments for education, employers and the environment all declined to send witnesses.
Cyclist Chris Boardman giving evidence at the 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry

Chris Boardman was the star witness today at the fourth evidence session of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group's 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry, which focused on active lifestyles. His evidence came on the same day that the Government's Chief Medical Officer urged local authorities to invest in cycling, as a cure for over 20 long-term medical conditions.

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CTC welcomes £62m cycle spending announcement, but urges consistency

By Roger Geffen on 30 January 2013
30 January 2013
CTC and other cycling groups have welcomed today's Government announcement explaining how £62m of cycling funding for England will be spent - including £30m for up to 3 'cycling cities'. But CTC urges that larger and more consistent commitments will be needed if we are to 'Get Britain Cycling'.
Norman Baker MP at the opening of a new cycle track in Sussex in 2012

The Government's announcement coincides with the second day of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry, where CTC is giving evidence on cycle safety issues, together with other cycling, road safety and motoring organisations, as well as the Metropolitan Police and Ministry of Justice.

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'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry examines cycling strategy

By Chris Peck on 23 January 2013
23 January 2013
The first session of the 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry has tackled Government and local authority strategy towards cycling, taking evidence from cycling organisations, experts and journalists.
UK Cycling Alliance representatives at the 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry

CTC today joined other cycling groups, experts and journalists to call for cabinet-level leadership to promote more and safer cycling.

The first session of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group's 'Get Britain Cycling' parliamentary inquiry, dealing with strategy, was eagerly followed on twitter, with the topic 'trending' for much of the morning.

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All Party Cycling Group inquiry starts rolling

By Chris Peck on 18 January 2013
23 January 2013
The first session of the All Party Cycling Group's inquiry into 'Get Britain Cycling' starts on Wednesday 23 Jan, and runs each week (with one exception) for the next seven weeks.
The inquiry into 'Get Britain Cycling' starts on the 23rd January

The first session of the Get Britain Cycling inquiry - on strategy - will explore the need for leadership on cycling and examine the comparisons with other European countries. 

Witnesses include representatives of the main cycling organisations in the UK - CTC, British Cycling, Sustrans and Cyclenation.

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Was 2012 the year when we finally started to 'Get Britain Cycling'?

By Roger Geffen on 28 December 2012
In a final blog posting for 2012, CTC’s Campaigns Director Roger Geffen reviews year’s highlights and looks forward to 2013 with a level of optimism which seemed unthinkable a year ago.
Has there been progress for cycling in 2012?

In terms of cycling’s political fortunes, 2012 was a remarkably good year.  The Times’s Cities fit for cycling campaign has given cycling a huge shot in the arm. Then there was the tremendous successes of Britain’s cyclists in the Tour de France and Olympics.

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Young people are driving less

By Chris Peck on 21 December 2012
The number of driving licence holders in Britain has fallen for the first time in decades, according to the National Travel Survey. The biggest changes, however, are in the different age groups. Fewer young people are obtaining licences, but the number of older people with licences is growing.
Fewer young people are learning to drive

Since 1975 the number of drivers' licence holders has risen by 81% - from 19m licenced drivers to 35m in 2010.

Access to ever increasing numbers of cars and the consequent reshaping of people's lives to make them dependent on them is one of the chief reasons why cycling levels have remained virtually static since the mid twentieth century.

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The Lords debate cycling... and it doesn't descend into abuse!

By Chris Peck on 11 December 2012
Normally, each time the House of Lords holds a short debate on cycling, up get a troop of seasoned peers to condemn the behaviour of cyclists. But yesterday's debate was refreshingly light on anti-cyclist drivel and strong on good policy.
Lord Berkeley is Secretary to the APPCG and Vice-President of CTC

The debate was triggered by a question tabled by Lord Berkeley, the Secretary to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group and a Vice-President of CTC, who'd asked us for ideas for a question.

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EU Transport Committee agrees to include cycling in major transport fund

By Chris Peck on 11 December 2012
European transport projects could include cycling infrastructure thanks to pressure from cyclists across Europe. CTC joined ECF in lobbying members of the Transport Committee to change guidance on funding major transport networks.
The Transport Committee agreed to include cycling in funding guidance

Last year there were suggestions that cycling be included within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), and therefore able to access funds for long distance cycle routes. 

CTC was alerted to the threat to funding by the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF), to which CTC, and, by extension, all CTC members, are affiliated. ECF identified that the Transport Committee of the European Parliament was preparing to approve guidance on allocating TEN-T funding which didn't mention cycling.

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