Cycling now officially off the agenda

Formally the National Cycling Strategy Board (NCSB) ceased to exist on
Jan 31st, and although DfT officials support the NCSB's proposals for
the organisational structure and priorities for the proposed successor
body "Cycling for England", Alistair Darling has apparently flatly
refused to fund them.

We now have no national cycling target, Local Transport Plan guidance
now says that zero growth targets are acceptable, we have no NCSB, no
English Regions Cycling Development Team (ERCDT), which was disbanded
last year, the vulnerable road user crossings programme has been
scrapped, there is no national cycle training programme, funding for
"integrated transport" in local transport plans has been savagely cut,
and there is no revenue funding for anything. *Despite the Walking and
Cycling Action Plan last summer, all we have now is a £10m grant to
Sustrans to create links between the NCN and schools. *And that's it.

On the plus side, naked streets look to be on the up, although the RAC
says that they will create more conflicts between cyclists and
pedestrians because "cyclists will be going faster." Something tells
me he has missed the point a bit there.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

: We now have no national cycling target, Local Transport Plan guidance
: now says that zero growth targets are acceptable
: [snip more woe]

That's very depressing. I had thought this stuff was one of the things the
government was at least making at start on moving in the right direction on.
Now they seem to have just given up on it all. It'll back to predict and
provide for roads ASAP, and we've never moved away from it for airports.

Sigh.

Of course, in some places a zero growth target would be an improvement
on the current situation if it actually ment "maintain current cycling levels"
rather than "ignore them and hope they'll all die out"

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

And today I see in the Torygraph there's an article on speed cameras where
the predictable Tory bleating about a stealth tax on motorists is put out
yet again. I wonder when the Tories are going to start complaining about
stealth taxes on other areas of law breaking. Tax breaks for shoplifters? Is
there a single working brain cell in the current Con Central Office - I
don't pay this stealth tax they whinge about - perhaps I should tell the Con
Central Office about avoiding the tax in a very easy way...

BAH! Politicians of *any party* come across more and more as short-term
twits who seem to jump on any prevailing bandwagon they think will get them
into power and keep them there. BAH! I hope the gonads wither on all of
them!

Rant mode off - normal service will now be resumed

Cheers, helen s

On 2 Feb 2005 10:26:37 GMT, "Arthur Clune" wrote in
message :

That's very depressing. I had thought this stuff was one of the things the
government was at least making at start on moving in the right direction on.
Now they seem to have just given up on it all.

Apparently they have spent £500k on cycle parking at stations.
Although I'd rather they had told the TOCs to build trains you can
take bikes on.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Formally the National Cycling Strategy Board (NCSB) ceased to exist on
Jan 31st, and although DfT officials support the NCSB's proposals for
the organisational structure and priorities for the proposed successor
body "Cycling for England", Alistair Darling has apparently flatly
refused to fund them.

They inherited a lot of this (at least the cycling targets) from the
Tories, who finally saw the light after about 15 years in government.
But there seems little chance the Tories would reinstate pro-cycling
policies if they got in now, and the LibDems seem to give no more than
lip service to any environmental issue, so where do we go?

Perhaps the best chance is to convince T Blair and co that
- if they're serious about climate change, cycling has to be a major
part of the answer
- they need to stop traffic engineers making the road network
increasingly cycle-hostile
- the way to increase cycling is not substandard facilities and H-word
promotion
- the ways to increase cycling are more likely to be cycle training,
traffic law enforcement, and cycle theft prevention.

Colin McKenzie

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
Apparently they have spent £500k on cycle parking at stations.

Covered, not very secure parking for about 1000 bikes, then?

I think I could find a use for that much funding in our London borough
alone - though admittedly we have over 20 stations.

Colin McKenzie

"Helen C Simmons" wrote in message
...
And today I see in the Torygraph there's an article on speed cameras where
the predictable Tory bleating about a stealth tax on motorists is put out
yet again. I wonder when the Tories are going to start complaining about
stealth taxes on other areas of law breaking. Tax breaks for shoplifters?
Is
there a single working brain cell in the current Con Central Office - I
don't pay this stealth tax they whinge about - perhaps I should tell the
Con
Central Office about avoiding the tax in a very easy way...

Our local plonkers want more death on the streets.

http://www.northamptontoday.co.uk/Vi...ticleID=933908


BAH! Politicians of *any party* come across more and more as short-term
twits who seem to jump on any prevailing bandwagon they think will get
them
into power and keep them there. BAH! I hope the gonads wither on all of
them!

Rant mode off - normal service will now be resumed

Sounds like you need to relax and do some slabbing.

T

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
On the plus side, naked streets look to be on the up, although the RAC
says that they will create more conflicts between cyclists and
pedestrians because "cyclists will be going faster." Something tells
me he has missed the point a bit there.

The job of the RAC front man is to confuse (FUD) the public into thinking
that naked streets are bad and the car centric status quo is good.

Tony W wrote:

Our local plonkers want more death on the streets.


http://www.northamptontoday.co.uk/Vi...ticleID=933908

ITYM "local /illiterate/ plonkers"

"Conservatives would review the sighting of cameras"

Either that or illiterate FLJS...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:14:07 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Formally the National Cycling Strategy Board (NCSB) ceased to exist on Jan
31st, and although DfT officials support the NCSB's proposals for the
organisational structure and priorities for the proposed successor body
"Cycling for England", Alistair Darling has apparently flatly refused to
fund them.

Did this happen at the 27th Jan Board meeting? There's nothing about it
at the NCS or DfT websites.


Mike