On your bike!

By William Gould

The case for active travel today has never been greater, though it will require a complete rethink of policy-led reforms.

From the outset, I'd like to stress that I do not consider myself a "cyclist". Though I ride a bicycle, I have never seen the appeal in being padded up in uncomfortable Lycra and cycling at the speed of a Tour De France competitor.

Instead, I prefer to ride my bicycle to get from point A to point B in the most convenient way possible and without breaking a sweat. I suspect, too, that millions of people would wish to do the same if it weren't for the many problems within our existing infrastructure and national culture.

Like many, I ride my bicycle as part of my commute to and from work, though the route is far from straightforward. When I start my journey to the train station, I must squeeze past tightly parked cars. Then it's a 2km cycle of total vulnerability, passing alongside drivers who often exceed the speed limit. Upon arrival, I have to check if the on-site parking facilities are secure before double locking my bike - in the hope that it's still there upon my return. I have no doubt this is considered standard for most daily cycle journeys.

If we're so concerned about improving our health and well-being and reducing carbon emissions, why do we have a political culture that can't seem to get it right?

These thoughts never crossed my mind when I took a recent trip to Rotterdam. When cycling, I never needed to look over my shoulder in a panic as I never found myself riding alongside HGVs or any vehicles. It was a rather strange sight to be cycling alongside the very old and young, all unaccompanied and dressed for the destination rather than the journey.

It's worth noting the tremendous socio-economic and health benefits of cycling, which often get overlooked. Aside from reduced emissions, cycling is excellent for your wallet. In fact, research has shown that the annual cost of maintaining a bike is around just £400 compared to £3227 for running a car.  Cycling for 30 minutes daily is also akin to the weekly recommended level of physical activity and comes with many health advantages.

Their benefits are clear, and it's great to see that some change has begun to encourage active travel. While cycling may have dropped to pre-pandemic levels, it still remains popular. Traversing London's expanding cycle-way network gives me hope that good infrastructure is possible. It's also positive that organisations like Sustrans are calling on more local authorities and Central Government to guarantee protected cycle lanes to schools.

Despite this, much-needed change is held back by incohesive planning strategies between local authorities and government uncertainty. Liz Truss hasn't shown incentive to endorse better-integrated transport links, while Active Travel England, the agency created to promote walking and cycling, may no longer have a legal right to be consulted on planning applications. Given our politics is at a crossroads moment, this could be a golden opportunity if only our leaders could commit to local policy-led reform rather than playing catch-up or responding to demand.

Some measures worth considering are 20mph speed limits on residential roads and physical traffic calming measures to treat cars as guests on our streets. Youtubers Not Just Bikes and BycicleDutch provide excellent analysis of how similar techniques have been implemented in Dutch street design, improving safety for residents and drivers. Indeed, take a trip to any city in the Netherlands and see what we should aspire to, not simply traffic-calmed streetscapes but advanced parking facilities and wide segregated lanes integrated between schools, hospitals, and town centres.

Certainly, these are difficult times for public spending, yet encouraging a complete rethink of active travel is possible. After all, the Netherlands was far from the cycling paradise that it is today. Exactly 40 years ago, the OPEC crisis and a series of traffic accidents forced the government to become active in leading reforms to streetscapes. Retrospectively, their policy-led efforts transformed the country into one of the safest and healthiest countries in the world.

The simple truth is that we find ourselves where the Dutch were forty years ago, and we need a complete policy re-think to make our streets and communities accessible for all. If nothing gets done, we risk entrenching a two-tiered society that permits cars to roam everywhere at the expense of the rest of us going anywhere.