Pedal Power
Issue 173
November 2024
www.ldcuc.org.uk
Secure Cycle Parking
We have been contacted by Alison McAuliffe after her husband was attacked and had his E bike, valued at more than £5,000, stolen. Alison and her husband are lobbying the Borough Council to open a secure cycle store in Loughborough, similar to the Cycle Hub at St Margaret's Bus Station and the Bike Park Cycle Hub in Town Hall Square, both in Leicester. Queens Park or some unoccupied retail premises might be suitable venues.
Whilst E bikes are encouraging more people to cycle into town, these vehicles are very marketable and provide a strong incentive to thieves. By contrast, high end racing bicycles are expensive, but the market for them is small and they are not usually used for utility journeys. The facilities proposed by Alison will encourage more people to get the benefit of a physically active and environmentally friendly form of transport. Such facilities might be combined with a bicycle repair/mobility scooter shop. Please consider contacting your local councillor to support this proposal.
Cycles on Trains in the East Midlands
East Midlands Railway (EMR) are introducing new trains. The new class 810 Hitachi AT300 Intercity 5 carriage train, currently in test and due to begin introduction in 2025, has only two spaces for cycles, using hooks for vertical storage.
This ignores the need:
- to develop cycle-rail integration to reduce car use, as the cycle capacity of the new trains is the same as the old ones;
- to encourage Active Travel, including by family sized groups;
- to provide for those cyclists, particularly riders of heavier E bikes, who will struggle to use the planned vertical hook storage.
EMR claim that as the trains are now being tested it is too late to change the design. This seems to be a strange claim to make as surely testing is to ascertain the suitability of any layouts before full production begins. Correcting the design at a later date would be much more expensive and once the new trains are in service, the life-span could be decades. The current '222' Meridian trains came into service in 2004!
Cycling UK advocates for at least 4 cycle spaces per 100 seats. The provision of only two spaces means that a family group cannot travel together. EMR contends that 'To make transport greener, we will be most effective by moving people from cars onto public transport which is achieved by providing more seats on board for our customers. However, they appear to ignore the fact that many trains are not filled to capacity. Surely flexible areas with folding seats and hanging straps for standing passengers which also provide capacity for large luggage and cycles would be a better option.
From the traveller's perspective, the whole journey influences the mode(s) of transport chosen. A bus element can introduce additional uncertainty, extra time and cost. In the Netherlands 42% of trips accessing the railway do so by cycle, and 11% of trips are completed by cycle at the destination. In the UK the number is around 3% having any cycling stage in the journey. Addressing this gap is part of moving people from their cars. The UK Government's Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (2017) has stated the ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys or as part of a longer journey, doubling the number of cycling stages from 0.8 billion to 1.6 billion by 2025. Provision of high quality, managed cycle storage at stations clearly forms part of this but cycle carriage capacity on trains is also significant.
David Smith of Pedals (Nottingham Cycling Campaign) is asking cycle campaigners in the area to write in support of the campaign to increase the space for cycles on the new trains. Please email your local Member of Parliament or EMR (contact@eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk with a copy to contact@pedals.org.uk .
20mph Limit Effective
Based on a Cycling UK article
GB-wide road casualty statistics for 2023 showed small reductions in overall road casualties, but provisional figures from the Welsh Government for the first three months of 2024 display a much more marked decline.
The new GB wide figures indicate that there are now 20% fewer cyclist fatalities than a decade ago, but only 4% fewer than a year ago – reinforcing concerns that progress is not fast enough.
In Wales, things look very different. Interim statistics released by the Welsh Government for the last quarter of 2023 and the first of 2024, show that casualties in road collisions are reducing much more quickly. Not only that, but they also show a reduction in the number of collisions overall. Readers will no doubt be aware that Wales introduced the default 20mph speed limit on roads in built-up and residential areas and even more aware of the backlash that followed.
Since the limit has been in place, Wales has seen the lowest quarterly figures for road casualties outside the Covid pandemic period. In the first three months of 2024, there were 377 casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads combined, compared to 510 in the first quarter of 2023.
In that single quarter, the number of serious casualties or fatalities dropped 23% in Wales, while for Great Britain as a whole it’s taken a decade to achieve a similar figure – 28%. In the six months after October 2023, following the 20mph policy being introduced, serious road casualties dropped by 17%, compared to the same period in 2022-23.
This is significant, because we’ve not seen results like this before. In recent years, there has not been such a great downward shift in the number of those killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads.
Although the 20mph default limit has caused a great deal of controversy, it has saved lives, made many neighbourhoods more liveable and less polluted, and encouraged active travel.
In September, the Senedd voted on scrapping 20mph in a motion brought forward by the Welsh Conservatives, but that vote was lost and an amendment by Labour passed instead, calling for the Welsh Government to continue supporting local authorities to deliver them in a targeted approach.
Although it may be too early to tell for certain yet, the 20mph limit is showing signs that it’s making communities and roads safer. We can only wait for the final statistics set to come out in a year’s time to see if this trend plays out even more strongly.
Ending the Car Driver v Cyclist Culture War
Based on an article in ZAG Daily
These quotes from Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs at Cycling UK are of interest.
“I think that particular culture war stemmed from the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election where the Conservatives thought the main reason they managed to get the win over the line was their negative stance on the expansion of ULEZ. That led to further pro-driver tactics for the 2024 general election. That’s where the ‘plan for drivers’ came in and all of the rhetoric about being on the same side as motorists, and everyone having the right to drive just as much as they’d like. It flew in the face of what earlier iterations of that Conservative government had been saying. Boris Johnson back in 2019 for example really understood the benefits of cycling and he was a passionate cyclist himself. So, it was a shame to see such a big pivot and it did feel like quite a cynical move from Rishi Sunak’s government.”
“But even the Labour Party was claiming to be ‘on the side of motorists’ pre-general election so there was a temptation on both sides to lean into that language to win more votes. That’s why I’ve been pleased to see this change in rhetoric from the government post-general election because not that long ago they were saying similar things to the Conservatives. It’s important to celebrate the improvement in rhetoric but we must also wait for concrete policies and funding decisions before we get too giddy about what happens next.”
“But as things stand, not everyone has clocked the benefits that come when more people cycle. That’s why a big part of Cycling UK’s new five-year strategy is to create this groundswell of public support for cycling so we don’t see this stop-start approach at the top of the tree in terms of government policy and funding. Until there’s a consistent level of wider public support for cycling, we’re always going to be too reliant on whoever happens to be Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Transport or Chancellor of the Exchequer and how supportive those individuals might be. If we have consistent public support, then policymakers will be compelled to reflect that in their decision making and we’ll see more consistent investment and policy. That’s our ‘theory of change’ and the strategy we think we need in order to maximise the positive contribution that cycling can make in a similar way to what we see in places like Holland and Denmark. In those countries, cycling is a ‘no brainer’ positive thing.”
“In some respects, British Cycling and Cycling UK could be seen as competitors, because they’re both membership organisations operating in the cycling space. But Caroline* is one of those senior women in the industry that is naturally very collaborative and supportive. She recognises the benefits of our organisations working together and I’ve really appreciated that – it’s how I try to work as well. It’s always important to think about where you have common ground and support each other to deliver your respective organisation’s broader aims. Caroline has made an effort to do that and she’s a talented individual having a great impact on our sector.”
*Caroline Julian, Brand and Engagement Director at British Cycling.
Cycling UK East Midlands Mince Pie Meet
This event, that raises funds for Rainbows Children's Hospice, will again be taking place at Belton Village Hall (weather permitting), on Sunday 22nd December. If you could spare some time to assist with the running of this event, please let John Catt know or email mincepie@ctclr.org.uk .
