No, protected cycling infrastructure is probably not too expensive for your city to build....

Here in Greater Manchester, the successful "Vélocity 2025 : A cycling plan for 2025 and beyond" bid for Cycling City Ambition Grant (CCAG) funding committed the conurbation to providing total funding over a 12 year period that would see "between £150 and £200 million invested on a range of cycling infrastructure, interventions and culture shift of which £20 million will be from the Cycle City Ambition Grant, £20 million from the LSTF and the remainder from a range of local and national, public and private sources through to 2025."


The current CCAG funding runs until March 2015 and as yet, neither the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) or Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have publicly identified where the next 10 years of funding will come from, or how much funding will be provided.  

The current CCAG funding level is £10 per person but only covers 1 million people - so on a GM wide basis this translates as £3.70 per person.  The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group report "Get Britain Cycling" recommended that national / local government should support cycling with funding levels of £10 per person - across the whole of Greater Manchester this would work out at £27 million per year.  


One of the many argument(s) that will no doubt be made against providing funding for cycle infrastructure will be "but it will cost too much".  To put these arguments into context it is worth taking a look at a recent report by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition which is a "brief exploration" of what they called the "myth" that "there's no way we can keep spending so much on bike lanes with so many other pressing needs in San Francisco."

To make their point that dramatically improving biking and walking in a city costs almost nothing compared to many other transportation projects — in San Francisco, one of the bike-friendliest cities in the country, bike projects take up less than 1 percent of the municipal transportation budget — they listed some typical cost figures.  The lovely people at the Green Lane Project  created the chart below from those figures.

Future blog posts will return to this theme and explore the arguments and evidence of the economic benefits of increasing cycling levels - as well as the lobbying arguments that will be needed throughout the coming year(s) to secure the funding needed to build a safe, convenient and coherent cycle network across Greater Manchester. (Note: the budget discussions for 2015-16 will start in October this year)

Meanwhile, enjoy the graphic. Click here for the original graphic.

 

Manchester cycling safety advice - file under Crime, antisocial behaviour and nuisance !

The Cycling Safety advice on the MCC website  contains fairly standard road safety-esque cycling safety advice.

What is a tad disheartening (although arguably also a fairly standard road safety-esque view of cycling) is the category under which the information is held. 

It would appear that Manchester City Council chooses to place "cycling safety" issues under the heading "Crime, antisocial behaviour & nuisance" !  Is this truly how Manchester City Council view cycling?

Could this be the view of the same Manchester City Council which proudly announced in June 2012 that it wanted to become Britain's No1 city for cycling by 2017.

The webpage does have a Was this information helpful? section (see bottom of the page) perhaps people would like to take the opportunity to leave appropriate (polite!) responses.

Happy Solstice !

Update: January 2014. 

Following a little prodding via Twitter and email the Manchester City Council webmeisters have shifted the webpage to the slightly more appropriate heading(s) below.....

• Roads, parking & transport
• Walking & cycling
• Cycling safety

Question time: What would you like to ask Baroness Kramer (the new Transport Minister) ?

Somehow, I find myself invited to the Mainstreaming Smarter Travel event on 3rd / 4th December in Manchester Town Hall. This is described in the publicity as an "annual event where representatives and stakeholders from all Local Sustainable Travel Fund (LSTF) awarded regions come together to share knowledge, good practice and discuss effective implementation of projects."
(Programme details available here)

One of the sessions on Wednesday 4th December, there will be what is describde as "an extended interview and discussion with the new Transport Minister with responsibility for LSTF, Baroness Susan Kramer, Cllr. Andrew Fender, Chair of TfGMC and Mike Blackburn, Chair of Greater Manchester LEP and BT regional director for the North West."

I have received an email asking me what my top questions would be for the three interviewees (see below).  Deadline is 12noon, Friday 22nd November.  So if you have any burning questions you would liked asked - why not send them in to the email address below or leave a comment on this blog.

A message from Lynn Sloman, Director of Transport for Quality of Life, Plenary Chair for Mainstreaming Smarter Travel Day 2

On the second day of the Mainstreaming Smarter Travel conference, there will be an extended interview and discussion with the new Transport Minister with responsibility for LSTF, Baroness Susan Kramer, Cllr. Andrew Fender, Chair of TfGMC and Mike Blackburn, Chair of Greater Manchester LEP and BT regional director for the North West.

I’d like to know your top questions for our three interviewees. We’ll endeavour to cover as many of them as possible – and certainly to address all the most popular topics.

Baroness Kramer was famed for her indefatigable pavement-pounding when she was the Lib Dem candidate for the London mayoral election in 2000, pledging to walk every high street in the capital city. So you might want to ask her what options she sees from her Ministerial hot seat to boost active travel. Or you might want to know what ideas Mike Blackburn and his fellow LEP Chairs have got for capital investment in sustainable travel post-2015.

Please send your questions by 12pm FRIDAY 22^nd NOVEMBER to rory.mcmullan@landor.co.uk.

Mark your email ‘LSTF Question Time’.

United Kingdom a little short sighted on drivers eyesight !

How many times have you heard the refrain "sorry mate, I didn't see you" (See Stop SMIDSY) from a driver who has just performed a manouvre which has caused inconvenience, concern or white-knuckle braking and avoidance tactics when you have been out cycling.

Oftentimes we think it is down  to lack of awareness of how much space to give to people who are cycling,  poor concentration or sometimes irresponsible or aggressive drivers.

However, it may literally be that UK drivers' eyesight is so poor that they are a hazard to any other road users. A 2011 report on Driver Vision Screening in Europe highlights how the eyesight testing regime for drivers in the United Kingdom is substandard when compared to most of the other EU and non-EU countries in Europe.

Whilst, some people will argue that an association of optometrists, opticians, contact lenses and glasses manufacturers (*) has a vested interest in promoting eye tests, the report highlights how poor the United Kingdom is in terms of testing eyesight both before and after a driving license is issued when compared to most other European countries.  In some cases, it would appear that the UK is not meeting the requirements cntained in the EC directives.

The EC Directives on Driving Licences should be implemented in all the EU Member States. The goal is to harmonise the underlying standards and systems of driver licensing across the EU. The 2006 Directive set a deadline of January 2011 for Member States to report their plan for implementation to the European Commission. The 2009 Directive updated the minimum visual requirements that drivers should meet in order to drive safely, and set a deadline of August 2010 for implementation.  The test categories highlighted in the report included:

Initial Eyesight Assessment

Directive 2009/113/EC specifies that Group 1 applicants for a first driving licence should have an ‘appropriate investigation of vision to ensure they have adequate visual acuity for driving’ and ‘where there is reason to doubt an applicant’s vision is adequate, he or she will be examined by a competent medical authority’.

 

Initial Eyesight Assessment for Group 1

Five European countries rely on the Licence Plate Test as their sole  assessment of vision. ECOO,EUROM and EUROMCONTACT believe this practice is unacceptable as the Licence Plate Test is not performed under  controlled conditions, and the results are not directly comparable with the underlying European standards which  specify an assessment of visual acuity.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment?

The EC Directive states that the assessment of visual acuity (Group 1)should be performed by a competent authority.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment (Group 1)

Five countries reported that the assessment of vision is performed by a driving test centre employee, who performs the Licence Plate Test.

Reassessment of Drivers’ Vision

Vision regularly changes with age. Many drivers do not notice a gradual change in their visual status and can therefore be unaware that they fall below the required standard. The erport highlights concerns that there is no requirement in the EC Directives for ongoing assessment of Group 1 drivers' vision on renewal. This is in contrast with Group 2 licence holders who require an assessment to be performed every five years when renewing their licence.  

But the distinction between Group 1 and Group 2 drivers has blurred in the modern economy. Couriers, taxi drivers, and many sales people all effectively drive for a living, and  there has been a significant rise in long-distance commuting.  These are all classified as Group 1 drivers, yet many spend at least as much time driving as those classified as Group 2 (or traditionally vocational drivers), and should therefore be subject to similar assessments of vision.   A majority of Member States already require a further assessment of vision by a competent  professional.

Reassessments of Vision Later in Driving Career

(Group 1)

However, there is no requirement for a further assessment of vision for Group 1in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK. In the UK drivers are expected to self-assess that their vision meets the standards, and to state that they meet the standards at three-year intervals from the age of 70.

.

It is not very encouraging that the United Kingdom is in the bottom league in each of the eyesight test tables. 

Perhaps it is time that the Department for Transport had their eyes tested so that they can read the small print of the EC Directives and introduce policies to make sure British drivers can actually see where they are going!

 

(*) The European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) represents the 75,000 optometrists, opticians and optical retail outlets.
 

EUROM I represents the national associations of manufacturers of corrective lenses, frames, and instruments for opticians (700 companies).

EUROMCONTACT represents the national associations and the international manufacturers

of contact lenses and contact lens care products.

Imagine Cycling (in Greater Manchester)

Just imagine! It's 2020 and many more people are cycling, safely, and cycling more often. But how did we manage to achieve that? Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign is 22 years old. 

We've decided to stop for some refreshment, by holding an Appreciative Inquiry* in May. Assisted by two experienced AI practitioners, we will use the power of our imaginations to map our route to 2020 (and cycling heaven).

If you are positive about trying to turn your cycling dreams into reality, please join in.

The session on the 13th May will begin by looking at our strengths and what we can  achieve  when we get it right. We will then look ahead at what we want to achieve by 2014 and then move into planning what needs to happen, who can make it happen and by when. The session will be structured to maximise everyone's involvement and opportunity to have a real say and commit to actions to create a better cycling future in Greater Manchester. 

RSVP to the Campaign's Secretary on richard@gmcc.org.uk   07913 420 943, or call 07973 538 556 to discuss

When:  Monday 13th May. Refreshments & buffet supper from 6pm. Start 6:30pm.  Finish 9pm.

Where: Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester (behind Central Reference Library).

* Appreciative Inquiry: for more detail on this organisational development technique see Wikipedia page.

Vélocity 2025 - A cycling plan for 2025 and beyond... Greater Manchester bids for £20 million

Our new network for cycling across Greater
Manchester will connect all 2.7 million
residents with high-quality cycling routes,
segregated wherever possible, that will
connect across the city region in a wellsigned
and easy to use European-style network.

Today (30th April) was the deadline for all the cities bidding for the Cycling City Ambition Grant funding. 

The Velocity 2025 programme outlines the targets - which include:

"The outcome of our Vélocity 2025 programme – our target – is to secure at least a 300% increase in the levels of cycling across Greater Manchester by 2025.

We want to see the proportion of trips by bicycle increase to 10% over the next 12 years, which we believe is achievable alongside additional Government funding. We aim to double, and double again the proportion of trips made by bicycle, whether that’s commuting, utility or recreational cycling, through an unprecedented, long range  programme of investment in cycling infrastructure for the city. 

The vision we set out for Vélocity 2025 supports the targets in the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group ‘Get Britain Cycling’. The CCAG funding, supported by local funding, will help us,
by 2015:

• Deliver 56km of largely segregated cycle route across Greater Manchester 
• Generate 26,800 new cycle trips per day on these routes 
• Improve the health and wellbeing to the value of £7.3m per year
• Provide business financial savings by reducing absenteeism of 1,000 days per year 
• Remove 1.7m traffic kms per year from Greater Manchester’s roads reducing congestion and accidents.

The Velocity  video is available below:



The bid document explains that: "Greater Manchester is bidding for the funding needed to deliver a generational shift in levels of cycling across the city region. The catalyst we seek is £20 million and if we are successful, this grant will unlock up to ten times that amount over the next decade or so as the city region delivers a remarkable strategic programme of change.
 
Central government funding will be matched by £10 million from Greater Manchester partners by 2015.  The Cycle City Ambition Grant (CCAG) will deliver £10 per capita investment per year for two years across the core of the city region (one million residents). 

Greater Manchester will then seek to commit future funding, through public and private sector sources, for a further ten years (giving a consistent twelve year programme) and across the rest of Greater Manchester (a further 1.7 million residents).

In total our Vélocity 2025 programme would see between £150 and £200 million invested on a range of cycling infrastructure, interventions and culture shift of which £20 million will be from the Cycle City Ambition Grant, £20 million from the LSTF and the remainder from a range of local and national, public and private sources through to 2025."

The Greater Manchester bid is supported by Love Your Bike and other Greater Manchester cyclign groups.  You can show your support (assuming you do) on the Love Your Bike petition on Change.org.




 

Cycle and walking 'must be norm' for short journeys: NICE !

You're safer on the bicycle than on the sofa

The BBC and other media have been reporting the highlights of the recently published report from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The NICE report, snappily entitled "Walking and cycling: local measures to promote walking and cycling as forms of travel or recreation"and the accompanying press release are calling on local authorities to implement "town-wide programmes to promote cycling for both transport and recreational purposes."

The report argues that cycling and walking should "be the norm for all short journeys" - trips that could be done in 15 or 20 minutes on foot or by bicycle.

NICE supports this approach because action is needed to combat the "silent epidemic" of inactivity posing a risk to the health of people in England. The advisory body is calling on all local authorities to do more to make walking and cycling an easier option in local communities

The NICE press release quotes the Local Transport Minister Norman Baker saying that: 

“I welcome NICE's guidance on walking and cycling and its recognition that encouraging more people to travel actively is a great way to improve public health. From April, the responsibility for public health will return to local authorities and we want transport, planning and health professionals to work together to help people change the way they travel." and that

“We want to see more people walking and cycling and this new guidance will play a valuable role in making sure that the funding we are providing translates into local measures that help more people to get more active.”


It is great to see the public health agencies publicly supporting cycling and walking... but so far the Coalition Government has yet to tell local authorities and Public Health departments what budgets and resources they will have from 1st April 2013.  Public Health Manchester is already funding the Freewheeling adult cycle training in Manchester but we haven't seen much activity from the rest of the GM public health authorities.

The poster above is from a Copenhagen public health campaign launched in 2010 and the headline reads "You're safer on the bicycle than on the sofa".  The associated website states that: "With these posters Public Health Copenhagen hopes to place focus on the fact that there are very good reasons to ride a bicycle each day and we would like to highlight that Copenhageners already cycle 1.2 million km each day."

There are a whole host of reasons why cycling levels are higher in Copenhagen (and other European cities) - including coherent and continues cycle routes (including segregated cycle facilities) and long-term (and imaginative) planning (subjects of previous blog post and no doubt future ones as well!).  But one of the key issues is funding - not just for cycling but also for other related issues such as road safety.

On the same day as the NICE report was published, the MEN ran an article 'Driven down: Number of Greater Manchester traffic police falls as road deaths soar' detailing how "Greater Manchester Police has lost more than a third of its traffic officers in the last eight years. Figures obtained by the M.E.N. show that GMP has just 310 traffic officers – 159 fewer than the 469 it had in 2004. The cuts have come as deaths on our roads have soared."  On 22nd November the Local Government Association warned that "thousands of miles of Britain's roads could be strewn with potholes within months without reform of how Government funds maintenance." The LGA stated that:

"The Department for Transport is reducing the Highways Maintenance Budget it gives councils by £442 million over the four years of the Comprehensive Spending Review. By 2014/15 councils will get £164 million a year less than in 2010/11, a 19 per cent drop. This is on top of the 28 per cent cut in core funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government, money which councils use to support road repairs and which is being increasingly consumed by spiralling adult social care costs. The Public Accounts Committee warned Government earlier this year that cuts to road maintenance funding risk being counterproductive."

Whilst, it is fine for Government Ministers and local council leaders to exhort people to cycle and walk more - people are unlikely to make these choices if they do not perceive the local roads to be safe, or have nowhere to store or securely park their bicycles at home, work or where they shop etc etc.  Creating a welcoming and encouraging cycling environment and culture takes time, planning, resources and funding. Not just the classic English stop-start and piecemeal funding - but consistent, coherent and long-term funding.

Working out exactly how much Greater Manchester spends on cycling (and walking) is not an exact science with each council including different definitions of cycling related projects. Also, since 1st April 2011, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have strategic responsibility for cycling at the GM level. TfGM have been awarded £5 million from the Local Sustainable Transport Funds for the Commuter Cycling project and another £35+ million LSTF funding for a broader sustainable transport project (most of which is not specifically cycling related). This funding is spread over a 4 year period and runs out in 2015.  Also, some of the cycling expenditure that would have been provided from local councils is now included in the TfGM cycling-related programmes.

It is estimated that Copenhagen has spent £40 per person each year on measures to encourage cycling. In comparison, most English cities spend about £1-2 per person. To match Copenhagen, Greater Manchester would be investing around £100m per year to support cycling. We have a long way to go to catch up but it can be done. What is needed is clear political leadership. 

[Correction.  According to Niels Torslov, Traffic Director for Copenhagen, in a presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, Copenhagen spends £18 per person on cycling.  Therefore the equivalent figure for Greater Manchester would be £45 million per year.]



For example, Edinburgh Council has decided that from 2012/13,  5% of its transport capital and revenue budgets will be invested in cycling infrastructure and projects. This figure will be quite apart from additional ‘external’ funding, which may also be quite substantial. The budget decision also agrees to raise the 5% figure by 1% annually (presumably during the 2012-16 period of the budget statement).

We need the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to start looking at how cycling will be supported after the Greater Manchester LSTF programme funding runs out in 2015.  If Edinburgh can do it - why not Manchester ?

Big Breeze Bike Ride (23rd / 24th June)

On the weekend of 23-24 June 2012, British Cycling are organising the UK’s first ever event to get thousands of women riding a bike at the same time.  

As part of the biggest ever campaign for women’s cycling, you can get involved by arranging your own informal bike ride using our Facebook app. Big or small; in a park or around your local area; for your friends, family, neighbours or colleagues... every woman, everywhere!

We’re encouraging everyone to swap their usual walk or get together for a fantastic bike ride instead – and to tell us all about it.  The easiest way to do this is to use our fab new Facebook app and toolkit and if you don't use Facebook, do drop us a line at 0161 274 2117 or an email here about your Big Breeze Bike Ride.

Our friends at Hull City Council are hosting a Hull Big Breeze Bike Ride event on 24 June as our flagship event. Hundreds of women will be invited to join an informal Breeze ride around beautiful East Park for family-friendly fun. If you live in or around Hull – please tell your friends and colleagues!

 More details at the Big Breeze Bike Ride website.

Oxford Road Annual Celebration of Cycling 2012 (Weds 20th June)

During National Bike Week in June, the Oxford Road Corridor partners (Uuniversity of Manchester, MMU, Central Manchester NHS Trust & Royal Northern  College of Music) will be celebrating all things cycling from 8:30am to 3pm, on Wednesday 20 June.

 There's a host of activities to encourage cyclists, new or experienced, young or old:

• stalls with information, raffles and freebies
• free breakfast
• free raffle with excellent prizes
• cycling routes to University

Help spread the word by downloading a poster or flyer for display in your building or bike shelter.

Stalls at the Event:   15+ cycling related companies will provide a range of information, advice, prize draws and freebies. There will be free bike tune ups, security marking, electric bike trials and much more!

Companies and groups supporting the event include: Transport for Greater Manchester, University of Manchester Bike User Group, Bicycle Boutique, Bike Right!, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op, Love Your Bike, Ken Fosters, UoM Security, MMU Security, icycle, British Cycling, Manchester City Council, Sustrans, Revolve MCR, University of Manchester Sport, MMU Sport, Withington Cycles and Juicy Electric Bikes.

Incentives Available: On the registration stall the Corridor Manchester Transport Group will provide incentives including high viz jackets, waterproof seat covers, pumps, cycle computers and more (on a first come, first served basis).

Free Breakfast (for staff): From 8.30am until 11am a free breakfast voucher (up to the value of £3, with a limited number available) will be available for Eats Refectory and Potter's Refectory.

Free Prize Draw - entry for all those that come along!

See here for more details.

Public Service Announcement #5

This just in from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)....

Dear All,

I thought that some of your contacts would be interested in the free cycle check sessions being arranged during March. Please feel free to forward the information below to anyone who may be interested.

Transport for Greater Manchester is running drop-in sessions across Greater Manchester over the next few Saturdays to give your bike a helpful once-over.

Our experts will give your bike a health-check, including brakes, tyres, frame, steering, gears and chain. It’s not a service or an MOT for your bike but our technicians can make small adjustments on the spot, and give you a diagnosis for anything that needs a repair.

Thanks to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service we’ve been able to line up a series of sessions at fire stations around the area, so there should be one near you (please see the list below).

Just bring your bike between 10am – noon and 1pm – 3pm to the fire station below that best suits you.

Our free cycle checks are part of the TfGM commuter cycle programme, wholly funded by the Department for Transport.

For more details please check get in touch with the team on 0161 244 1264 or cycle@tfgm.com or visit www.tfgm.com/cycle .

Kind Regards

Tony Short

Project Support Officer

LSTF – Commuter Cycling Project

Transport for Greater Manchester

Tony.Short@tfgm.com

Bolton

3 March – Moor Lane, Bolton BL3 5DB

10 March – Crompton Way, Bolton BL1 8UP

17 March – Albert Road, Farnworth, Bolton BL4 9HF

Bury

3 March – The Rock, Bury BL9 5AH

10 March – Bury New Road, Whitefield M45 7SY

Manchester

3 March – Denhill Road, Manchester M15 5NR

10 March – Thompson Street, New Cross, Manchester M4 5FP

17 March – Rochdale Road, Blackley, Manchester M9 7EQ

17 March – Birch Street, West Gorton, Manchester M12 5NS

17 March – Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester M20 4AW

24 March –Brownley Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 5FG

24-March – Philips Park, Briscoe Lane, Manchester M40 2XG

Oldham

3 March – Lees Road, Oldham OL4 1JN

10 March – Broadway, Chadderton OL9 0JX

24 March – Hollins Road, Hollins OL8 3BD

               

Rochdale

3 March – Maclure Road, Rochdale OL11 1DN

10 March – Middleton Road, Heywood OL10 2LU

Salford

3 March – Liverpool Street, Salford M5 4LE

10 March – Bury New Road, Broughton, M7 4LE

17 March – Bolton Road, Pendlebury M27 8XS

24 March – Liverpool Road, Eccles M30 0RZ

               

Stockport

3 March – Whitehill Street West, Stockport SK4 1NR

10 March – King Street West, Stockport, Cheshire SK3 0DT

17 March – Turves Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 6AY

24 March – Lisburn Lane, Stockport SK2 5NP

               

Tameside

3 March – Slate Lane, Off Ashton Moss Way, Audenshaw M34 5FS

10 March – Ramsbottom Street, Stalybridge SK15 1RF

17 March – Railway Street, Hyde SK14 1DF

               

Trafford

3 March – Park Road, Stretford, Manchester M32 8RJ

10 March – Cranleigh Drive, Sale, Manchester M33 7NT

17 March – 43 Manchester Road, Broadheath, Altrincham WA14 4RQ

               

Wigan

3 March – Robin Park Road, Newtown, Wigan WN5 0UU

10 March – Gloucester Street, Atherton M46 0JT

17 March – St Helens Road, Leigh WN7 3PA

“Making Manchester a World Class Cycling City” ?

Manchester City Council has recently released a  consultation draft of the Manchester Cycling Strategy  "A Strategy for Cycling in Manchester 2011-2015" to members of the Manchester Cycle Forum for early comment.   The introduction explains how:

"As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2010 by British Cycling and Manchester City Council, it was agreed that a joint cycling strategy be produced. Once complete, the intention is to bring together in one place the three strands of cycling: “utility” (commuter) cycling; leisure cycling and sports cycling."

The broad vision for the partnership is “Making Manchester a world class cycling city”

The draft strategy document states that to achieve this vision, "the partnership will deliver tangible improvements by making a commitment to:

• Collaboratively develop utility, leisure and sports cycling through a co-ordinated and sustainable cross-city programme

• Build on existing investment and development programmes

• Seek out additional investment to meet existing and future needs and
 

• Learn from others who have set examples of good practice."

The document acknowledges that it has yet to be completed and highlights that  the "sections detailing plans for recreation and sports cycling are still under development but outlines of their content are included."

 

Whilst waiting for a more detailed draft version, (promised towards the end of November) interested parties are invite to bring their comments to the Cycle Forum meeting due to be held on Tuesday 13th December 2011 or send them to cycle.forum@manchester.gov.uk by 24th December 2011.

A message from Tameside Council to the cycling community...

See below for the text of an email recently sent by Tameside Council's Sustainable Travel Officer to members of Tameside Cycle Forum.

Dear Cyclist,

As you are aware the Tameside Cycle Forum has not met for a number of months.  The reasons for this are numerous and includes over a 1,000 staff leaving the authority in recent months, severe and ongoing budget reductions and additional work being taken on by remaining staff.

Part of the budget reductions is a year on year decrease by the Department for Transport funding for structural maintenance money which generally addresses resurfacing and bridge maintenance. Other minor maintenance work funding for elements such as footways repairs and potholes have also been cut. Apart from a small sum of council funded capital works there are no other capital monies available to improve the overall highway infrastructure.

Clearly the Greater Manchester Transport Fund is rolling out Metrolink, and other schemes within the GM area and a comprehensive Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LTSF) bid is being put together led by Transport for Greater Manchester on behalf of all GM districts. A LTSF report is being considered by TfGMC on 11 November 2011.

Please don’t forget if you have any maintenance issues which need to be looked at these can be reported this via the Tameside website at: http://public.tameside.gov.uk/symology/cs_index.asp

However, in respect of the cycle forum, Tameside is to seek views of the other Greater Manchester Districts as to whether they hold such meetings and if so how often and their Terms of Reference. Once this information has been collected, then a decision will be made as to how cycle issues in Tameside should be taken forward.

Michael Hughes, Sustainable Travel Officer 

E-mail:  michael.hughes@tameside.gov.uk



The policy decision to establish Cycle Forums in all of the 10 Greater Manchester local authority areas was adopted in the "The Greater Manchester Cycling Strategy" 2006 and also the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan 2006/07-2010/11 which required local authorites:


"To strengthen partnerships with other public bodies, commercial organisations and voluntary bodies in order to promote and cater for cycling. 

3.8.1 Dialogue with local cyclists and other interested parties through Cycle Forums, which have been established in all councils, should be maintained and improved where necessary. Authorities should also work with local cycling groups, representatives from health authorities, schools, local businesses, the police and the passenger transport providers."  (Policy 8 Partnerships and consultation)

It seems a little strange that Tameside Council are proposing to "seek views of the other Greater Manchester Districts as to whether they hold such meetings and if so how often and their Terms of Reference. Once this information has been collected, then a decision will be made as to how cycle issues in Tameside should be taken forward".


How about asking the cycling (and non-cycling) communities in Tameside whether they would like to have a functioning cycle forum?  


So if you live, or work, in Tameside and have an interest in developing better cycling facilities - perhaps you would like to let the Sustainable Travel officer, or better still, your local councillor know your views on the matter..... just a thought!

Public Service Announcement #2

Cycling Survey. The Visions for Walking and Cycling is a research project which seeks to assess the potential in the UK for achieving substantial increases in walking and cycling, and in improving the quality of the walking and cycling experience, by 2030. By taking part in this research you will be helping us to better understand your perceptions and experiences about cycling, particularly in terms of what helps and hinders you in cycling, and in how we can improve the physical environment to improve the cycling experience.

Your views will really help us to suggest to government how the cycling infrastructure can be improved - so thank you for your help, it is really appreciated!  Please click this link to take part in our questionnaire:

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), this research commenced in October 2008 and involves the universities of Leeds, Oxford, East Anglia, Salford and Manchester, in consultation with local walking and cycling groups in four UK cities. It builds upon a growing recognition that walking and cycling can make a considerable contribution to sustainable transport goals, public health and the sociability of communities.

For more details see the Visions 2030 website.

Combining cycling and public transport....

1st April 2011...and with great fanfare the new Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is launched.  The new transport plan states that:

"A number of transport needs cannot be covered by cycling or public transport alone since neither can offer a sufficiently flexible transport solution on its own. Proposals are set forth in the City Plan 2011 which would make it easier to combine cycling with public transport, thus providing a realistic alternative to private cars.

The Greater Manchester Public Transport Plan (2011-2015) takes a highly favourable view of combining cycling and public transport and targets cyclists as potential customers to a greater extent than in the past. This has resulted in the removal of most restrictions applying to bicycles on commuter trains. There are still some restrictions applying to rush hours. However, the most recent development is that bicycles are now allowed on commuter trains in rush hours when travelling in the opposite direction to the main traffic. As more and more commuter trains of the new type are acquired bicycles will eventually be allowed on the train at all hours of the day. Bicycles will be permitted on the new Metro around the clock."

Well it may be April Fools Day... but this text is from a real Transport Plan,* unfortunately just not the Greater Manchester Plan. (* Have changed the city name and dates but the rest of the text is contained in the City of Copenhagen Cycle Policy 2002-2012 document.)

Unfortunately, in a fairly stark contrast to the Danish policies,  the 'Integration with public transport' section in the GM Local Transport Plan states:

"Combining cycling with public transport provides a viable alternative to the private car for many medium and long-distance journeys. It can both increase public transport patronage by increasing the catchment area of stations, and reduce the demand for car parking around stations. Cycle carriage is permitted on Northern trains (the major operator in Greater Manchester) but overcrowding means that there are serious problems in accommodating more than two bikes on some trains, and conductors have the right to refuse access if the train is crowded. There is, however, no restriction on the number of folding bikes carried. The carriage of bicycles on Metrolink is prohibited under the by-laws due to constraints on space on the existing trams, unless they are folded and fully encased. This policy was recently re-affirmed following a review. Bus operators in Greater Manchester do not permit cycle carriage."

Oh dear... "right to refuse", "prohibited", "do not permit" what a lot of negatives and all this in a Local Transport Plan that is supposedly more pro-cycling than previous LTPs.  Whilst, an increasing number of cities in Europe and worldwide have already started to integrate cycling into their public transport networks, by and large Manchester seems to be stuck with a "cycles are a problem" mentality when it comes to the bus, tram or train network. With its aspirations to be a world-leading City, isn't it time that Manchester started to catch up?  Let's hope that, together with their new name, TfGM can begin to develop the progressive policies to deliver better integratation of cycling and public transport in Greater Manchester.

This blogger would welcome details of how other cities around the world are working to integrate cycles with their public transport  networks. Please leave a comment or a link.  Thanks.

Happiness is.... cycling to work !

Well probably not a great surprise to anyone who regularly cycles but it is nice that the all-round benefits of cycling to work, as well as for leisure/utility trips, are becoming more widely recognised...

A report published in 2010 by the Young Foundation entitled 'The State of Happiness - Can public policy shape people’s wellbeing and resilience?' highlighted recent research that illustrated how "commuting in crowded conditions and long commutes are both associated with lower levels of frustration tolerance and job stability as well as with poor health and work absences." Basically, as shown in the graph below, the longer the commute time the less happy people are.

But it is not just the length of commuting time that is important - it is also how much control people have over their journey times that plays a large part in the stress and frustration of commuting to work.  Traffic congestion, roadworks and finding somewhere to park can mean that for many journeys by car or public transport there is little control over the reliability of journey times - which can lead to stress and frustration - or unhappiness.

A more recent report by the New Economics Foundation 'Measuring our progress : The power of well-being' highlighted that "studies comparing the experiences of commuting by bicycle and car report that cyclists find their mode of transport at least as flexible and convenient as those who use cars, with lower stress and greater feelings of freedom, relaxation and excitement." (*)

Or put more simply, cycling provides a more reliable and controllable means of travelling to work (or the shops, pub, school etc) and when you add in the cost-savings and health-benefits of regular cycling then.... cycling can really make you happier !

(*) Anable, J. & Gatersleben, B. (2005). All work and no play? The role of instrumental and affective factors in work and leisure journeys by different travel modes. Transportation Research Part A 39, 163–181.

Cyclists 'left unprotected by police and courts'

Well I had certainly hoped to start the New Year on a happier note but the combination of several national media stories and bicycle blogs about how the legal system doesn't deal with dangerous, or should that be murderous, driving cases and then cycling past a billboard advertising a Manchester-based law firm offering to save a drivers licence if they had been charged with driving too fast, over the alcohol limit or in a dangerous manner prompted me look a little closer into how the legal system responds to cycle related incidents.

A BBC London news article reported on 7th January 2011 that fomer British Boxing champion Gary Mason had died in a cycling collision in London. The article stated that:  "Mason, 48, was on his bicycle in Sandy Lane South, Wallington, on Thursday morning when he was involved in a collision with a van. The retired fighter was pronounced dead at the scene." and that: "A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and bailed until March pending further inquiries."

Whilst the exact details of the case are not (yet) known it is interesting to note that the driver was only charged with causing death by careless driving.

Careless (or Inconsiderate) Driving is defined by the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Section 3ZA, as amended by the Road Safety Act 2006) as being driving that:

“falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.” A driver is regarded as driving without reasonable consideration for other persons
“only if those persons are inconvenienced by his driving”.

Whilst Dangerous Driving is defined as driving that:

“…falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver, and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous.” …"dangerous” refers to danger either of injury to any person or of serious damage to property;” [Road Traffic Act 1988, as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991. Section 2A.]

On 9th January, the Independent newspaper published an article highlighting the Gary Mason case as well as the experience of barrister Martin Porter who was documented his recent experiences with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after having been assaulted by one driver and threatened with being killed by another.  The details of the assault incident and the woeful response from the police and CPS are detailed on Martin Porter's blog - the Cycling Lawyer. (The details of the driver threatening to kill incident have been removed from the blog as the police have re-opened the case and are currently investigating).

In 1997, the Lord Chief Justice had observed how the the figures for Careless Driving or Dangerous Driving (CDDD):

"seem to us to show that the offence is regarded by the Courts as less serious than in fact it is: less serious than Parliament intended it to be and less serious than the public in general regard it. It is a trite observation, and I make no apologies for making it, that the motor car is a potentially lethal instrument. Any driver who fails to realise that what he is doing at the wheel is creating a risk when to any ordinary person such risk would be obvious, or, even worse, sees the risk and nevertheless takes a chance on avoiding disaster and so kills, is prima facie deserving of severe punishment. In our view such punishment should in many cases involve immediate loss of liberty."

By March 2006, Alistair Darling (then Transport Secretary) was arguing in the House of Commons that: 'It is important that the courts actually regard somebody who kills somebody using a car in the same way as if they had used any other means of killing people,''and that 'It's important that drivers realise that the minute they sit behind the wheel of a car they are potentially driving something that can cause death or serious injury.'' (BBC News, 8 March 2006).

However, any progress appears to be slow and piecemeal and cycling & walking campaign groups, such as the CTC,  continue to argue that the police and legal system do not show sufficient interest in prosecuting drivers who cause the deaths or serious injury of pedestrians or cyclists and that even where there are prosections the sentences imposed do not reflect the seriousness of the crime. 

A fascinating paper by Jake Voelcker entitled "A Critical Review of the Legal Penalties for Drivers Who Kill Cyclists of Pedestrians" takes as its starting point a CTC news comment:"

“A driver has been fined just £800 for ‘careless driving’, following the death of a cyclist. The case follows an all-too-familiar pattern, where a cyclist is killed yet the driver escapes with a small fine and a driving ban for ‘careless’ driving due to serious anomalies in the legal framework of ‘bad driving’ offences.” (CTC 'Newsnet', 27th October 2006)

The review provides a fascinating and clear, if depressing, picture of how poorly the legal system responds to cases where drivers have killed, or seriously injured, cyclists.

Amongst many interesting comparisons the review highlights how the "Health and Safety regulations would not permit thousands of one-tonne steel and glass machines with exposed moving parts to repeatedly pass feet or inches away from unprotected workers on the shop floor at well over 10m/s (HSE 1998, Sect.11). Yet this is the situation in our towns and cities today. Why are drivers allowed to impose this danger on pedestrians without more strict prosecution of liability?"

The review concludes that "it must be admitted that driving is not an absolute human right, but is a privilege enjoyed only by some. In choosing to drive – despite being aware of the potential consequences – a driver has entered into a form of contract where they are be responsible for the consequences of their actions. In this light it is only fair that, whether through recklessness or simply a moment of carelessness, if the consequences of driving are death then the driver is penalised accordingly. Currently this is not the case: an £800 fine for taking an innocent life seems a ludicrously low price to pay."

CTC's SMIDSY (Sorry Mate I Didn't See You) campaign aims to highlight the need for a change in both the legislation and the way that the police and courts respond to careless and dangerous driving cases. CTC believes that:

• The framework of ‘bad driving’ offences and sentencing should be fundamentally overhauled
to reflect the unacceptability of endangering and intimidating other road users. Sentences
should reflect the potential severity (not just the actual outcomes) of such offences, but with
a much greater emphasis on long driving bans, re-testing and community-based sanctions
such as restorative justice.
 
and that the statutory framework of bad driving offences needs to be reviewed with two key aims in mind:
• To relate sentencing more closely to the standard of driving rather than the outcome.
• To remove the implication that driving that causes danger can be dismissed as mere
‘carelessness’.  (More details here)

Meanwhile, closer to home, the billboard below was recently spotted on Ashton Old Road, heading north from the City Centre and is advertising the services of the legal company, Hammond Trotter.  With offices in Bury and London,  the company's website proudly announces that they are "Specialist solicitors who will fight for your driving licence."

The company website claims that:
"Our team has many years experience in the field of criminal defence work and we believe that we are the only firm in England and Wales that delivers the best results possible for clients with road traffic problems."  

The car image on the billboard has clearly been involved in a crash of some form (the front of the car is badly crumpled and damaged). The advert text asks the question: Driving Offence?
Speeding?
Excess Alcohol?
Dangerous Driving?

with the strapline of "Save your licence with Driving defences.com" [which is a division of Hammond Trotter LLP].

According to the Department for Transport "Contributory factors to reported road accidents data tables" drivers being impairedby alcohol was a contributary factor in 10% of the road crash fatalities in 2009 whilst driving in a careless, reckless manner or when in a hurry was a contributary factor in 19% of the road crash fatalities. Aggressive driving was responsible for 9% of road crash fatalities. Unfortunately, it would appear that Hammond Trotter won't be short of potential customers.

Best wishes for 2011 and may you all cycle safely.