Author Topic: New government cycling policies  (Read 3721 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
New government cycling policies
« on: 16 December, 2019, 09:33:55 am »
What do people want and/or expect in terms of cycling from PM Johnson? Either policies explicitly about cycling or things that will affect it in some way.

Boris bikes in every town? A national network of cycling superhighways? Revision of the Highway Code? Something about helmets and hi-viz? Cycle training on the national curriculum? Cycle maintenance to be a GCSE syllabus? Mandatory cycling licences? Free secure bike parking with every new house? Employers incentivised to give cyclists a pay bonus? Proper highway maintenance? Wiggins/Froome/Thomas to be Minister for Sport? Josie Dew in charge of the National Tourist Board? Boris parking his Brompton under the dispatch box at PM's Qs? Brexit boost for Carradice, Hope and Moulton? Influx of cheap crappy bsos from Tajikistan? etc...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #1 on: 16 December, 2019, 09:44:01 am »
Andrew Gilligan was recruited by Boris Johnson as a “transport adviser” earlier this year:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/07/26/londons-former-cycling-commissioner-becomes-transport-advisor-to-prime-minister-boris-johnson/

Despite being a shithead in every other way, he was very good at understanding what’s needed to make cycling schemes happen, which his replacement Will Norman is still struggling with. Whether he’ll have any power in the new administration, and whether it’ll go anywhere, is another matter.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #2 on: 16 December, 2019, 10:32:40 am »
I expect less than nothing. Indeed, I expect cyclists to be persecuted and villified as another minority to be attacked in order to aggrandise his own position as a 'man of da peepel.'

I think anything else is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If you're hoping for a government that looks to the interests of minority groups like cyclists, disabled people, religious and ethnic minorities etc, I think you are in for a nasty shock.
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
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Ban cars.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #3 on: 16 December, 2019, 11:51:04 am »
I expect less than nothing. Indeed, I expect cyclists to be persecuted and villified as another minority to be attacked in order to aggrandise his own position as a 'man of da peepel.'

I think anything else is just setting yourself up for disappointment. If you're hoping for a government that looks to the interests of minority groups like cyclists, disabled people, religious and ethnic minorities etc, I think you are in for a nasty shock.

Yep, this.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #4 on: 16 December, 2019, 12:21:07 pm »
It seems likely that BSJ will - if he survives brexit - embark on some giant vanity infrastructure project.  At one point I thought there was a possibility this might be something cycling related, but since cycling has been dropped from the Boris brand image, it no longer seems likely.

Beyond that, what bludger said.  Cycling, where it appears on the radar at all, will continue to be an underfunded local authority thing.  And those of us who are members of disadvantaged or minority groups are likely to have other things to worry about.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #5 on: 16 December, 2019, 03:54:15 pm »
the manifesto had £2bn for potholes. Where those potholes are that will be filled with this cash is anyone's guess, but it might make our streets slightly less irksome to cycle along on anything other than a full on MTB.  Obviously this is so that the precious motorist doesn't have to fix his car, rather than to stop cyclists getting killed, but the latter might be a nice accident.
Other than that, wot bludger said, but with extra climate burning on top.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #6 on: 16 December, 2019, 03:55:57 pm »
It won't be the kinds of potholes that an audaxer plunges straight into at 3am in a quiet country lane in Midlands, I'll tell you that for free.
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Ban cars.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #7 on: 16 December, 2019, 04:23:01 pm »
It won't be the kinds of potholes that an audaxer plunges straight into at 3am in a quiet country lane in Midlands, I'll tell you that for free.
If it's in an urban setting where the choice is hit a pothole or be hit by a car, I'll take that!
(I assume it'll never happen TBH, the roads with potholes tend to be maintained by the council, and Boris wouldn't want to give them any money!)

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #8 on: 16 December, 2019, 06:37:06 pm »
I expect very little, so I'd settle for more roads policing, and a recognition, through sentences, of the harm road crime leads to.
Too many angry people - breathe & relax.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #9 on: 16 December, 2019, 06:55:17 pm »
the manifesto had £2bn for potholes

I've been off the bike for a week because of lurgy, but I was impressed to see that they've started spending it already: Two new craters have opened up on my regular route.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #10 on: 16 December, 2019, 08:11:05 pm »
the manifesto had £2bn for potholes. Where those potholes are that will be filled with this cash is anyone's guess, but it might make our streets slightly less irksome to cycle along on anything other than a full on MTB.  Obviously this is so that the precious motorist doesn't have to fix his car, rather than to stop cyclists getting killed, but the latter might be a nice accident.
Other than that, wot bludger said, but with extra climate burning on top.

Surely cash is a very inadequate thing for filling potholes with - or will there be so much lying around looking for a home after Brexit that this will be cheaper than using something real like tarmac and hardcore.
I could imagine a lot of that £2bn filling something - like already overflowing pockets. Perhaps it's the spill from those pockets that will end up in potholes?

Of course not my problem since I'm that endangered species a european.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #11 on: 16 December, 2019, 08:56:10 pm »
Okay, so we're not expecting much. But what would we like? What's in your letter to Boris along with the cookies and glass of milk?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #12 on: 16 December, 2019, 09:03:42 pm »
Okay, so we're not expecting much. But what would we like? What's in your letter to Boris along with the cookies and glass of milk?

[REDACTED TO AVOID VIOLATION OF THE PREVENTION OF TERRORISM ACT]

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #13 on: 16 December, 2019, 11:02:58 pm »

I expected you all to be way more pessimistic and cynical than this...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #14 on: 16 December, 2019, 11:04:34 pm »
Put it this way, I've had the 'emigrate to New Zealand' paperwork all saved in google drive for the past year...
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #15 on: 16 December, 2019, 11:07:03 pm »
Put it this way, I've had the 'emigrate to New Zealand' paperwork all saved in google drive for the past year...

In the words of Douglas Coupland:

"New Zealand gets nuked too"

That said, I left within 3 weeks of the vote...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #16 on: 16 December, 2019, 11:08:40 pm »
If you know any cute continental European citizens who like chunky dude cyclists, send them my details.

I already know one of my mates is having a shotgun wedding with her Italian boyfriend in March to secure her tenure...
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #17 on: 17 December, 2019, 12:24:58 am »
Put it this way, I've had the 'emigrate to New Zealand' paperwork all saved in google drive for the past year...

Can you get Planet X in NZ thobut?

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #18 on: 17 December, 2019, 01:01:25 am »
Genuinely one of the downsides I weigh up is things like bike componentry would be dearer!
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #19 on: 17 December, 2019, 01:03:35 am »
Genuinely one of the downsides I weigh up is things like bike componentry would be dearer!

discount-bike.de, bike-components.de, bike24.de, wiggle.nl, hollandbikeshop.nl

Assuming you stay in the EU.

No idea for the antipodes...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #20 on: 17 December, 2019, 08:37:24 am »
wiggle.co.nz inevitably
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #21 on: 17 December, 2019, 08:50:03 am »
It seems likely that BSJ will - if he survives brexit - embark on some giant vanity infrastructure project. 

Boris Island maybe.

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #22 on: 17 December, 2019, 12:51:36 pm »
Genuinely one of the downsides I weigh up is things like bike componentry would be dearer!

discount-bike.de, bike-components.de, bike24.de, wiggle.nl, hollandbikeshop.nl

Assuming you stay in the EU.

No idea for the antipodes...

J

Have to check on the VAT rates,QG, there could be some deals to be done in smuggling tax exempt components out of a thrird world country (UK) and into the EU.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #23 on: 21 December, 2019, 05:18:27 pm »
As no one's got any ideas, and before I forget about this thread completely, my wishes would be for some policies to make cycling as ordinary as walking.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ian

Re: New government cycling policies
« Reply #24 on: 23 December, 2019, 08:19:57 pm »
Johnson's vanity infrastructure projects aren't something to wish for. Expensive fictions or pointless actualities tends to be the flavour of the day.

I expect nothing good, I don't doubt Johnson will be keen to receive the mantle of himself as the saviour of the besieged motorist. Mostly white, middle-class, Guardian-reading, salad munchers aren't exactly the demographic that made him PM.