Pedal Power

Issue 171
July 2024

Leicestershire Local Transport Plan (LTP4)

Leicestershire County Council is in the process of drafting its fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) which sets out its vision for transport to 2050. The aim is to deliver this in 3 phases:

• Phase 1 (up to 2030)
• Phase 2 (up to 2040)
• Phase 3 (up to 2050)

The draft policy for Phase 1 should be published shortly (see https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/local-transport-plan/local-transport-plan-ltp4 ) and is subject to consultation between 12th August to 23rd September (6 weeks).

Labour Government Policy

Max Hunt

The new Government is bound by its manifesto, so LDCUC Members may like to know how far it goes and where its priorities are. If you have any questions they can be sent to Dr Jeevun Sandher, our new MP. The Manifesto can be found at: https://labour.org.uk/change/my-plan-for-change/ but here is a key section on transport:

“Rebuilding Britain means modernising our transport infrastructure. Our road network is plagued by long-promised projects that are never delivered. The potholes cratering our roads are a visible sign of the decline after 14 years of Conservative rule. Cars remain by far the most popular form of transport. Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion. We will fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament, funded by deferring the A27 bypass, which is poor value for money. Labour will further support drivers by tackling the soaring cost of car insurance. And, as set out in our automotive sector plan, Labour will support the transition to electric vehicles by accelerating the roll out of charge points, giving certainty to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines, and supporting buyers of second-hand electric cars by standardising the information supplied on the condition of batteries.”

“Labour will give mayors the power to create unified and integrated transport systems, allowing for more seamless journeys, and to promote active travel networks. Labour will also develop a long-term strategy for transport, ensuring transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time.”

Tour de Manche – Summer Supplement!

Max Hunt

As we wait for Local Cycling Infrastructure, for NCN6 to be improved through Garendon Park or for Loughborough’s Old Railway Line to be made winterproof, let’s take a ferry across the Channel and see what summer offers there!

Take a ticket for Dieppe from Newhaven. Book a B& B at each stage along the quiet route recommended by Donald Hirsch. It includes a long stretch of converted rural rail track.See: https://www.donaldhirsch.com/dieppeparis.html

There are well maintained and signed greenways (Voies Vertes) in Normandy and Brittany. They frequently have names like the Avenue Verte which take more circuitous routes if you are going into Paris. See: https://www.avenuevertelondonparis.co.uk

If you prefer the beaches and folklore of Brittany, the ferry to Roscoff from Plymouth opens up some really beautiful routes, such as the Velomaritime along the north and west coasts. See: https://www.freewheelingfrance.com

Another thought is to take the Portsmouth ferry to Ouistreham, leaving your car at the port, and returning from St Malo or Cherbourg. These are the Francette and Veloscenie routes using waymarked river valleys and former rail lines. The beautiful NCN2 Sustrans route offers a round route from Poole to Cherbourg, through Normandy and Brittany to Roscoff and back via Plymouth. This Tour de Manche will take a little longer but a good B&B will offer to wash your clothes over night!

You may find the inevitable war graves of northern France can be hard to take but a trip along Normandy landing beaches is truly eye-opening from Ouistreham to Cherbourg. See https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr Or simply visit the excellent Memorial Museum in Caen which traces the struggles in Europe through the whole of the last century. See: https://www.memorial-caen.com/

Most routes way-mark the best natural scenery and historic sites but they also weave you through the larger towns. In Caen, for example, you can witness a modern urban transport system. Or if city cycling isn’t for you, the regional rail (RER) system can swiftly transport you to country towns, like Dol-de-Bretagne with its famous hill loved by the Tour de France.

Cycle Helmets Rear Their Ugly Heads (Again)

Ariadne Tampion

Earlier this year, John came off his bike during one of his Loughborough Wednesday Cyclists rides. This left him in a state of sufficient concern for others on the ride to call an ambulance. As his wife, I received an initial call from another member of the group and subsequent updates from the paramedics as he was taken to and processed at Leicester Royal Infirmary A&E. A feature of these calls which provided me with some amusement at a worrying time was the presumption that I could be called upon to persuade him to wear a helmet when cycling in future. They did not know whom they were dealing with, or that I was in the front line of defence against the imposition of helmets on all cyclists through compulsion back in the 1980s, when there was little evidence on either side but a large power imbalance.

More recently, John was once again admitted to A&E at LRI, this time with a problem unrelated to cycling. However, when his notes were retrieved, reference was made to his previous sin of 'cycling without a helmet'. As this was an exceedingly worrying time, I was heartily relieved when the focus turned swiftly to his immediate needs, but the experience persuaded me it would perhaps be a good idea for me to revisit this campaigning topic.

Cycle helmets do not work as a safety aid because of risk compensation. When you feel better protected, you take more risks. But in a highway environment the issue goes beyond that. When you look better protected, other road users, some of whom have the ability to do you serious harm, take more risks with you. People who claim they do not believe in risk compensation are even more irritating than those who do not believe in evolution or climate change; do they seriously think that firefighters would run into burning buildings wearing jeans and tee-shirts?

The necessary plastic manufacture and disposal associated with these objects, I find cause for concern. But the greatest concern is for the future of cycling, and with it the future of humanity and the planet. When people who do not currently cycle, or who cycle very little, see others cycling in protective kit, they get an exaggerated impression of the hazards of cycling, which in reality are not significantly different from the hazards of everyday living, and so they are deterred from cycling or cycling more. To save the planet, and therefore its inhabitants, from the catastrophic climate change which has already started, modal shift away from private motorised transport is crucial. Additionally, contemporary society has a public health crisis linked to an epidemic of physical inactivity; 'active travel' can enable people to build physical activity into their busy lives. As a bonus, road safety for all users is improved by a greater proportion of cycles in the traffic mix.

The social and cultural reasons why cycle helmets have taken hold in some countries, including this one, more than others, are very interesting, but can prove divisive, even inflammatory, when aired. So I believe they are best left for dispassionate academic discourse or soundings-off down the pub with friends; mainstream cycle campaigning needs simple messages and happily we have the ones above at our fingertips.

Cycle helmets do have a few limited roles to play. In competitive cycling they do not work any better as a safety aid than in any other kind of cycling, but they do work as a performance aid. Riders willing to take more risks improve their chances of winning; clubmates out training can ride faster and tighter, improving their fitness and skill levels.

The nervous newcomer may be keen to get fitter and help save the planet, but simply too terrified to go out on a bike without a helmet; the risk compensated for is that of riding at all. I have huge sympathy for anyone who feels this way, but would advise them to wean themselves off their helmet at the earliest opportunity. In today's social climate, many parents understandably feel pressured into putting helmets on their children in order to be seen as 'responsible'. I have sympathy for that, too, and indeed, the sort of low-speed falls which children learning to ride typically experience are situations in which a cycle helmet can turn a nasty bump into a less nasty bump. However, I would caution them regarding the 'shield effect'. We did not put our children in helmets, but had a family culture of always wearing gloves or track mitts when cycling, which they readily bought into. All the children of our acquaintance would fall off at times, but whilst ours would put their hands out to break their falls, the helmeted children would stick their heads out; it was really quite striking.

It may make you smile to hear this, but John himself will be wearing a helmet for cycling in future. He will also be wearing it for gardening and d-i-y, which carry similar risks to cycling. Following brain surgery to solve his more recent problem, he now has two holes in his skull, so is more vulnerable to damage from nasty bumps than the typical person.

In conclusion, if you want to protect yourself optimally from yourself and other road users while working to save the planet and improve the health of all its inhabitants, if you are not in competition or training for competition, and you have no particular personal issues, the message is clear: eschew the cycle helmet!