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Campaigners call for redesign of transport system to help prevent bounce-back in air pollution
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/09/uk-to-invest-cycle-lanes-coronavirus-air-pollution
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
“UK plans £250m boost for cycle lanes and fast-track e-scooter trials”
(27 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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Even with public transport reverting to a full service, once the two-metre social distancing rule is accounted for, there would only capacity for one in 10 passengers in many parts of the network, Shapps says.
We must think very carefully about how and when we travel, if we are to get Britain moving again without overcrowding our transport network, he says.
This is an opportunity to make us healthier in the long-term through active travel, he says.
When we do get back to work, cycling and walking in a safe way should be encouraged.
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Posted 3 years ago # -
5x more per head than scotgov.
Posted 3 years ago # -
England £250 million, Scotland a paltry £10 million (of diverted/recycled existing active travel budget). That's less than half what it should be even on a population basis (Barnett formula maybe slightly higher?).
Posted 3 years ago # -
[+] Embed the video | Video Download Get the Flash Video Posted 3 years ago # -
The Statutory Guidance is extraordinary:
We recognise this moment for what it is: a once in a generation opportunity to deliver a lasting transformative change in how we make short journeys in our towns and cities. According to the National Travel Survey, in 2017-18 over 40% of urban journeys were under 2 miles – perfectly suited to walking and cycling.
Active travel is affordable, delivers significant health benefits, has been shown to improve wellbeing, mitigates congestion, improves air quality and has no carbon emissions at the point of use. Towns and cities based around active travel will have happier and healthier citizens as well as lasting local economic benefits.The government therefore expects local authorities to make significant changes to their road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians. Such changes will help embed altered behaviours and demonstrate the positive effects of active travel. I’m pleased to see that many authorities have already begun to do this, and I urge you all to consider how you can begin to make use of the tools in this guidance, to make sure you do what is necessary to ensure transport networks support recovery from the COVID-19 emergency and provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer transport.
Local authorities in areas with high levels of public transport use should take measures to reallocate road space to people walking and cycling, both to encourage active travel and to enable social distancing during restart (social distancing in this context primarily refers to the need for people to stay 2 metres apart where possible when outdoors). Local authorities where public transport use is low should be considering all possible measures.
Measures should be taken as swiftly as possible, and in any event within weeks, given the urgent need to change travel habits before the restart takes full effect.
Posted 3 years ago # -
This could genuinely split the Scottish Tories from the English ones.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Frankly, questions need to be asked of the Scottish Government as to why they aren't matching this level of ambition. I believe Edinburgh/Glasgow are the only LAs to be pursuing temporary measures.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@IWRATS: this could genuinely split the English Tories from the English Tories. It’s Corn Laws stuff.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@CycleAlex, as I opined in another thread, perhaps the ScotGov internal rationale runs along the lines of "but we have hills and wind and rain in Scotland so cycling and walking not practical here".
Posted 3 years ago # -
Also, on a local level, why on earth drivers are still allowed to barrel through Holyrood Park remains a mystery.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Glasgow has Rottenrow which is short and steep and Gibson st and great george st either side if the same hill and a few others partickhill, garnet hill but is quite flat. Has population of approx 650k? Edinburgh has the hills we all cycle they are a little bit hillier 550K, Dundee has the HILLTOON. NOT Sure about ABERDEEN? Ayr is flat, Inverness quite flat, Perth quite flat.
We do have hills in Scotland but not really where the people live??
Posted 3 years ago # -
Carlton Reid predicted when Johnson won the election that something like this was waiting in the wings. Andrew Gilligan is a special adviser and Dominic Cummings (though I don't know how much influence he would have in this area) cycles. Of course the present crisis has forced a sudden sprouting of what were seeds of policy.
Re budget - I hear that like the Scottish money it's repurposed cycling budget - which was £350 million at the last budget - working out less per head.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I saw the point about it being 'existing money' but also that some of it might be from a bus budget? eg where bus and cycle had been lumped together?
but the guidance seems much more significant? if the current political focus stays. can see how the usual local intransigence might wear it down.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@SRD
True, and that's what Carlton Reid has to say about it.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Also my £350 million is out of date - there was a later announcement in February.
This really is amazing.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@gembo
Aberdeen is bowl-shaped, bounded by the valleys of the Dee and Don. The ring road rises to 104m at Summerhill on its way between those two rivers. There is no Dublin Street/Mound I can think of, though there is this.
Highest section of Edinburgh bypass around 160m.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Aberdeen's hills are vast, but metaphorical.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
“Crisis has exposed how little space is allocated to people” - Boardman
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Posted 3 years ago # -
Cyclists now would appear to need to Vote Tory - wow!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Apparently TfL is planning with ‘temporary’ meaning 18 months. (With some degree of expectation that people will ‘forget’ the temporary idea.)
Officials more used to dealing with buses now jumping on new desires of Mayor and UKGov with certain amounts of inter-departmental duplication.
They are also getting lobbied (quite justifiably) by RNIB etc.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Much of the £250 million will be spent in London and Manchester no doubt. Much of England (like Scotland) views cycling as a 'special interest'. I had a chat with someone that admitted she really enjoyed getting back in 'the car' to do a quick couple of errands. Car loans motor on even when your car doesn't etc (!)
A 'good news story' but in no way makes up for the lack of preparedness with CV-19.
This is an admin in London that has continued let thousands fly in to UK with no quarantine. Now talking of doing that but weeks too late. Someone called it Operation Stable Door.
Meanwhile Eurostar and Ferries will continue to operate without restriction.
Weird as thought taking control was the big idea.Posted 3 years ago # -
No control
No surrender
No sense
They are either immensely incompetent or pretending it to hide their real motives/plans...
Posted 3 years ago # -
In fairness to the quarantine policy, when case numbers are sky high within the country, additional introductions of the virus don't really matter. Now that case numbers are coming down it really does start to matter.
We should have started quarantining in January, but once it got to mid-March it mattered much less
Posted 3 years ago # -
“additional introductions of the virus don't really matter“
But is that ‘statistically or practically as well?
“sky high” presumably isn’t a scientific term...
Still not clear if the ‘problem’ is getting it (and consequences) or ‘not overwhelming the NHS’ or ‘delays to unlocking and getting the economic show back on the road’...
Posted 3 years ago # -
@IWRATS and @Frenchy, not Aberdeen, but Peterhead brewery Brew Toon (the most easterly Scottish brewery) does a good beer that Young Master Gembo favours. It is called Weekend Hooker which I believe is an hilarious pun on someone mending the nets and someone playing rugby.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Hidna realised that Peterheid his a brewery nooadays - will keep ma een peeled! Glaid ti see ey wint for the name "Brew Toon" inaa. Lesser fowk wid've said it wis ooer obvious, bit as ye pint oot, ey're clearly fans o hilarious puns at Brew Toon.
Posted 3 years ago #
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