Commitment to Cycling

Cycle casualties increase sharply in 2011

By Chris Peck on 28 June 2012

28 June 2012

Figures released today from the Government show that cycle use increased very slightly in 2011, however, the numbers of serious injuries rose markedly. CTC is calling on Government to do more to improve safety.

Reduced traffic policing may be partly behind the rise in casualties

Cycle casualties increased sharply in 2011 compared to the previous year, while deaths and serious injuries also rose for many other road users.

This is now the fifth year in a row that cycle serious injuries have risen, and while cycle use has also increased, the risk of injury has not improved over that period.

Serious injuries to cyclists rose in 16% in 2011, from 2,660 to 3,085. Overall cycle casualties rose by 12%, to 19,215.

Government devotes an additional £15m to fix junctions

By Chris Peck on 26 June 2012

26 June 2012

In the 2012 Budget the Chancellor allocated £15m to fix problem junctions in London. Now another £15m has been found to spend on junctions outside London. The additional funding is a testament to The Times's 'Cities fit for cycling' campaign in the spring.

The Times' #cyclesafe campaign generated 10,000 reports of bad junctions

The Minister in charge of cycling issues, Norman Baker MP, said that the fund will be used to support improvements to junctions with poor safety records. The Department will work with local authorities and the Cycling Stakeholder Forum, on which CTC is represented, to identify the major junctions.

This fund will provide capital support to improve safety at junctions identified as having a record of road incidents that have resulted in cyclists being killed or seriously injured."

Talking cycling to Northern Ireland’s politicians, planners and the public

By Roger Geffen on 22 June 2012

Wednesday was one of the most meeting-packed days I can remember, with 2 Ministers, one parliamentary select committee, a presentation to some traffic planners, a visit to a cycle-friendly school and a public meeting all in one day!

Mike McKillen, Mai-Britt Kristensen and Roger Geffen at Stormont castle

Huge respect to Tom McClelland, CTC’s lead regional volunteer campaigner, for arranging such a full schedule at very short notice.

Tom and I were joined throughout the day by Mai-Britt Kristensen from the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, and by Mike McKillen from Cyclist.ie, the federation of cycle campaign groups in the Irish Republic.

Brighton's Old Shoreham Road: the cycle-ways to the future?

By Chris Peck on 18 June 2012

18 June 2012

Innovative cycle lanes with a degree of separation from the road have been introduced on Old Shoreham Road in Brighton. While not perfect, these new lanes are about the best that can be done under current highway design regulations.

Cycling Minister Norman Baker MP opened the cycle lanes

The new lanes are designed to give a degree of separation from motor vehicles, without completely sacrificing priority over side-roads or at major junctions. The width varies from around 1.5m to over 2m wide, with most of the space for the lanes having been taken from the carriageway. At junctions with the main roads cycles have a 5 second headstart traffic light.

New Mayor of Basingstoke shuns chaffeur limo for bike

By Chris Peck on 8 June 2012

Cllr Martin Biermann was recently voted in as the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Council, but has announced he would no longer use a chaffeur, instead declaring he would use a bicycle to attend engagements.

Councillor Martin Biermann (from Basingstoke Observer)

Unfortunately some of his fellow councillors criticised him, suggesting that travelling by bicycle undermined the status of Mayor. Councillor Biermann told the Basingstoke Observer that he was saving money and making a green statement. When travelling to more distant locations he will use trains or an electric car provided for free by a local resident.

What I am intending to do is lead by example, and go to as many events by bike, or train"

New Vision for Cycling: Doubling the Benefits

By Chris Peck on 30 May 2012

CTC's 'New Vision for Cycling' sets out the benefits which doubling cycling (and halving the risks of cycling) would have.

Over a third of Copenhageners cycle to work - can we achieve the same?

CTC has been promoting cycling at national and local level since 1878 and, after well over a century of campaigning and lobbying, we believe that cycling has never been more relevant than it is today.

Why cycle?

Cycling is fun, fast, flexible, free (well, almost!) and it keeps you fit. You don’t have to pay for a gym and you can save time by getting from A to B while you’re exercising.

Pedal on Parliament

By Victoria Hazael on 4 May 2012

Thousands of cyclists pedalled to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to demand that politicians do all they can to make Scotland a cycle-friendly nation.

On Saturday 28 April, a crowd of around 3,000 cyclists rang their bike bells and horns loudly and began the Pedal on Parliament ride from the Meadows to Holyrood.

Leading the charge was Mark Beaumont, the CTC member and round the world cyclist and adventurer, who rode the route with a handmade banner calling for a cycle-friendly Scotland.

As far as the eye could see, thousands of cyclists filled the whole of both George IV Bridge and High Street.

Jon Snow and Josie Dew at the Transport Select Committee

By Chris Peck on 26 April 2012

24 April 2012

President and Vice-President of CTC respectively, Jon Snow and Josie Dew appeared alongside editor of The Times, James Harding, whose 'Cities fit for cycling' campaign has triggered a shift in political support for cycling. Two ministers with responsibility for cycling also gave evidence.

Since The Times launched its Cities fit for cycling campaign in February, political doors have opened and behind the scenes there has been a bit of progress on many of the 8 points which The Times originally argued for.

CTC had already given evidence to the Transport Select Committee's Inquiry into Road Safety but an additional day of evidence specifically on cycling was arranged, to which CTC's President, Vice-President and the editor of The Times were invited.

A statistical look at the success of Swindon's Workplace Cycle Challenge

By Anna Cipullo on 26 April 2012

Find out what effect the second Workplace Cycle Challenge had on the number of people cycling in Swindon.

What is a Workplace Cycle Challenge?

The Workplace Cycle Challenge is a behavioural change programme, designed to encourage more people to cycle more often.

It allowed organisations, and the individual departments within them, to compete against each other, seeing who could encourage the most staff to cycle for at least 10 minutes over a three-week Challenge period.

The Challenge focuses on participation rather than mileage, to ensure a fair competition which engaged new and occasional cyclists as much as regular cyclists.

Everybody Active - safe cycling sessions for adults with disabilities in Reading

By Javed Saddique on 13 April 2012

Everybody Active is a cycling session run each week on a Wednesday. The sessions provide the opportunity for adults with disabilities to cycle in a safe environment.

All ability cyclists take to the track in Reading

Since the launch of the Everybody Active cycling sessions, we have seen numbers of attendees increase and already we have ten regular participants who turn up whatever the weather.

The sessions have been such a success that there are now two every Wednesday between 10am and 12pm at Palmer Park, Reading.