Pedal Power

Issue 170
May 2024

www.ldcuc.org.uk

Getting ahead of the political curve again

Given the possibility that he may be Loughborough's MP by the end of this year, Loughborough and District Cycle Users' Campaign decided to offer Labour Parliamentary Candidate Jeevun Sandher an initiation to the town's cycle facilities. The Campaign is, of course, non Party political, and can proudly remind everyone that we treated Nicky (now Baroness) Morgan to a similar experience when she was a mere Candidate.

Happily, Jeevun accepted our offer, along with the offer of the loan of John Catt's Brompton for the duration of the ride; although he can ride a bicycle, he does not currently keep one at his address in Loughborough. Thus on a rare warm sunny April morning, he departed Bramcote Road in a group led by Anthony Kay with Neil Parr as wingman and myself, Ariadne Tampion, as photographer.

The three of us introduced him to a few of our worst bugbears: the missing bit of cycle path on the Haddon Way Estate; Woodthorpe Roundabout, which fails miserably as a 'safe route to school' for Rawlins students; and the approach to the railway station which requires one to 'turn on a sixpence' at a point where one is likely to be travelling at speed. We also showed him some good bits: a handy little bridge over the Great Central Railway; the scenic canal tow path; and the way the cycle lane markings on the A6 through the town centre work by putting you in the right place on the road.

We returned him to Bramcote Road in good time for his next meeting, well tanked up on endorphins and with his politically expedient commitment to active travel apparently overlayed with genuine enthusiasm for our most efficient and socially conducive mode of transport. However, should he become our next MP, whether we have managed to persuade him to use cycling, Dennis Skinner style, as his main method of getting out and connecting with his constituents, we shall have to wait and see.

CAMPAIGN FOR SAFER CYCLING & WALKING

At the AGM it was suggested that LDCUC should have a campaign plan. Alan Staniforth in liaison with some other members has produced this proposal. Comments are welcome.

Changes to the Highway Code in 2022

In January 2022 the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the 17th edition of the Highway Code. The revised Code introduced changes that, when implemented, enforced and complied with by all road users, had the potential to make cycling and walking safer in and around our town. This has the potential of encouraging more people to make short journeys by cycling or walking, leaving their cars at home. One of the most important changes introduced was giving pedestrians and cyclists right-of-way at points where pavements/cycle lanes or paths cross road junctions.

DfT Failure to Communicate the Changes

Unfortunately, DfT failed to communicate effectively the changes included in the new Code to all road users. By contrast, British Cycling & Cycling UK, representing about 170k cycling enthusiasts, informed their members of the beneficial changes. However, many other millions of regular cyclists across the UK are probably unaware of the beneficial changes within the new Code.

DfT Guidance to Local Authorities

The Department’s guidance to local authorities, like Leicestershire County and Charnwood Borough Councils, regarding the updating of signage and road markings at crossing points, has not changed despite changes in the Code now being two years old. DfT has stated that they do not intend to update their guidance to local authorities because they believe more road signs confuse motorists.

Campaigning for Improvements

Loughborough & District Cycle Users’ Campaign (L&DCUC) will lobby for consistency in the marking and signage at crossing points that emphasises the rights of walkers and cyclists at junctions consistent with the revised Highway Code. At both the local and national level we will highlight the failure to give effective and safe rights of way to walkers and cyclists in line with the revised Highway Code.

At the local level we will encourage members to write to their County Councillors asking that the authority adopt appropriate standards for road markings pending new guidance from the Department of Transport. This will be supplemented by an open letter to the Chairman of the County Council.

We will then continue to lobby locally to achieve a standard of road marking and signage that is consistent with the new Code and any future changes.

In parallel, L&DCUC will encourage members to lobby British Cycling and Cycling UK to press the DfT to update its guidance to local authorities, such that road markings and signage keep pace with current and future changes to the law and the Highway Code.

Local Authorities’ Inconsistencies in Road Markings and Signage

Loughborough hosts an important section of the Sustrans National Cycle Network -Route 6 (NCN 6). It joins the town at One Ash roundabout on the old A6 then north to beyond the University before turning west across Garendon Park. In this 3 mile stretch it crosses 9 road junctions, 2 of which are controlled by Toucan crossing lights. The remainder have faded broad broken white lines or no lines at all marking the crossing points. None of the seven non-light-controlled crossings have any signage warning motorists of their new obligation to give way to cyclists and pedestrians. This neglect by Leicester County Council discourages cycling and walking. We will encourage members to contact their County Councillors asking for these issues to be addressed.

From the Chair

Ariadne Tampion

I became Chair of the Campaign again at the last AGM, nine years after the end of my previous stint. I can't claim it was a tough election, but I can thank all the other members who took the trouble to attend and endorse my appointment. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank retiring Chair Ray Clay for his service.

When I was last Chair, I produced occasional 'From the Chair' pieces for Pedal Power, and intend to do so again. I won't promise they will be particularly regular or long; I know and have known Chairs of organisations who relish regular opportunities to furnish other members with their outpourings, but I am not one of this breed; I confess that any requirement to produce a regular piece of writing tends to become a burden for me. What I really enjoy about being a Chair is the actual chairing, and I believe I am quite good at it.

I am perhaps fortunate that the role of Chair in our organisation has never been a large one; indeed, it has in recent years been confined to chairing, and giving a report to, the AGM. However, it does carry the potential for the incumbent to appear as a figurehead and public voice, and I would like to make more of opportunities to do so, subject to the other duties and aspirations of my life.

I began my cycle campaigning 'career' in Southampton in 1988, through involvement in the relaunch of the Southampton Cycling Campaign (which thence became known as 'Southampton Cycling Campaign 88' for a few years before reverting to its previous name). The following year, as Campaign Secretary, I found myself preparing a response to a consultation on a draft City Plan. I produced a passionate document, urging the City Council to 'exploit the potential of cycling' as a solution to the city's mushrooming traffic problems. In my naivety, I was totally unaware that contemporary Government policy was not to encourage cycling, on the grounds that it was 'dangerous', merely to make it a little safer for those determined or obliged to do it.

Things changed over time, of course, in no small part due to the efforts of cycle campaigners like ourselves, although we did have 'events' on our side: the inescapable evidence first of the impossiblity of a society in which everybody goes everywhere in their own motor car, and secondly of the advancement of climate change due to human activity. And reputable studies showed that cycling is intrinsically no more hazardous than everyday living in general.

The arguments having been comprehensively won, the challenge now is to deal with the various legacies which are impeding movement forwards. The most obvious is legacy highway infrastructure, designed in a way that allowed motor vehicles to pose a danger to cyclists and presented cyclists with suboptimal journey options. There are also legacy attitudes in Council highways and planning departments, resulting in problems being made worse in the short term, and thereby increasing the time and expense needed to fix them. And then there is the legacy attitude among the general public that cycling is 'dangerous', deterring people from cycling or cycling more, and obstructing progress towards the one thing which has unequivocally been shown to increase the safety of cycling: a higher proportion of cycles in the traffic mix.

These legacies are individually frustrating, but most frustrating of all for a campaigner trying to tackle them is the way they are in conflict with one another: highlight the need for highway safety improvements and you correspondingly highlight the hazards of cycling; the business can feel like the proverbial squeezing of a balloon. The tide of history is with us, but progress on the ground will be incremental and can be helped by local knowledge. Plenty of work for a cycle campaign group still to do, but with the promise that it will be increasingly rewarding.

Local Authority News

From Max Hunt, County Councillor for Loughborough NW

The County Council intends to publish the latest draft of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) towards the end of May and hold a six week public consultation on the core objectives and principles from 28 May to 9 July 2024, giving partners, stakeholders and the public an opportunity to comment.

Charnwood Borough’s Transport Strategy put to the Public Hearing in February has resulted in the preparation of Special Planning Document (SPD) on “Planning Obligations” with a Public Consultation possibly in six month’s time. This is important for cyclists as it will set the priority for contributions from developers for transport infrastructure, as well as schools and other matters.

Garendon Park is now open to cyclists, the main Estate Road from Snells Nook Lodge has a few bumps and dips which will be ironed out by Persimmon. This leads into Shepshed via the Coach Road. Unfortunately there is no cycling access from Snells Nook to NCN6 because access planned via the Bavarian Gate is still private land. A group has been formed to engage with Persimmon on work yet to be done and publicise what has been done. It doesn’t cost anything to subscribe: Sign up by going to www.garendon.freeuk.com