Active Travel England

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

First time I’d heard of this organisation was when I read this:



York given a low active travel score – despite being the new home of Active Travel England

“Cycling levels in York have fallen by over one third since 2014. This demotion is damaging for the city and will make it far harder for York to meet our active travel targets and give people the transport choices that they so badly need,” says Andy Shrimpton, from York Cycle Campaign.

Andy Shrimpton is founder of the excellent York cycle business ‘Cycle Heaven’ and I first met him at an inaugural meeting of York Cycle Campaign in the early 1990s. ISTR there was a handful of us in a pub (including Jim McGurn) He’s done a lot for cycling and I feel his pain at this assessment, unfortunately, however I also feel that York’s cycle-friendliness certainly has declined, for a variety of reasons. Some of these are nationwide, some may be due to lack of money, but there’s no excuse for failing to design cycle facilities that make cycling easier and safer. Often these are just a means of taking away cyclists’ right to be on the same road as motor traffic. Unfortunately any improvements for cyclists invariably attracts a lot of noise from motoring lobbyists, some self-appointed, others not.

As I have admitted elsewhere I don’t have as much recent experience of other cities as I used to have, so I can only comment on York and its surroundings.

[Lightning Phil]

I was a student at the University of York in the early 80s.  I only really visit York on Easter Arrows.  But it was striking how roads that were quite pleasant to ride on back then are just log jammed with motorists and quite hostile.  Some of that will just be the significant growth in the use of the motorcar since then; but the council doesn’t seem to have done anything to stop it.

York is a very walkable and cycle able sized city.  It’s a shame it’s full of motors and so polluted these days.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

CET Junior 2 has a Uni flat about 200m from the Ouse.  There is a very good cycle path out of the city to the south and the Millennium Bridge, which allows traffic free crossing of the river.   I'm not sure about the wider facilities.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Did a daily commute through York for about 15 years from 1992.  Mostly ok with the occasional incident, t-boned by a camper van, for example.  The worst bit were parents dropping off kids at St Peters public school. So many SUVs, all in too much of a hurry to worry about plebs on bicycles!

The cycle track is ok, apart from hordes of dog-walkers some of whom are irresponsible, but cycling around the retail parks is very tricky: Clifton Moor, Monks Cross. Luckily my employer never moved me their Monks Cross office as I would not have enjoyed cycling there.

Another major problem for cyclists is that cars just get bigger and bigger, taking up more and more road-space.   York does not have space for wider roads and who in their right mind wants to give over more of the city to cars, anyway.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Another major problem for cyclists is that cars just get bigger and bigger, taking up more and more road-space.   York does not have space for wider roads and who in their right mind wants to give over more of the city to cars, anyway.

That problem is not restricted to York.  When being tailed by grumpy drivers in Mercedes Gargantuans, Audi Monstrosities, and Kia Blot-on-the-landscapes down lanes in Hampshire and Sussex have taken to calling out "Get a smaller car" if they show any sign of impatience.  I assume quite a bit of wealth is required to live in mansions down those little lanes, so clearly there is no correlation between wealth and commonsense.

[ian]

Another major problem for cyclists is that cars just get bigger and bigger, taking up more and more road-space.   York does not have space for wider roads and who in their right mind wants to give over more of the city to cars, anyway.

That problem is not restricted to York.  When being tailed by grumpy drivers in Mercedes Gargantuans, Audi Monstrosities, and Kia Blot-on-the-landscapes down lanes in Hampshire and Sussex have taken to calling out "Get a smaller car" if they show any sign of impatience.  I assume quite a bit of wealth is required to live in mansions down those little lanes, so clearly there is no correlation between wealth and commonsense.

Considering that everyone in Surrey has a horse, I'm really not sure why they need a Range Rover too.

[Kim]

Considering that everyone in Surrey has a horse, I'm really not sure why they need a Range Rover too.

Protection from the BEARS?

[ian]

It's true that I've never seen a bear eat an entire Range Rover. In a single sitting, anyway.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Top cycling cities in Europe:

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/12/28/these-are-the-top-10-bike-friendly-cities-in-the-world-and-9-of-them-are-in-europe

Our best shot is 15th.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The highest ranking of a UK city in the list is Bristol which ranked number 15 in the list with a score of 43.76, marked highly for low theft and good infrastructure.

I can just about see how they thought there's good infrastructure, by UK standards, but low theft? Absolutely and sadly untrue.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

In 2021 it was more than twice as bad as York, which is bad enough. The City of London is top of the league. 

https://bike-theft-map.bikmo.com/?_ga=2.21038139.1209291065.1676981590-1691810282.1676981589

[grams]

I can just about see how they thought there's good infrastructure

Has Bristol gained anything more than the Sustrans paths that dump you a long way from the centre?

[Kim]

I can just about see how they thought there's good infrastructure

Has Bristol gained anything more than the Sustrans paths that dump you a long way from the centre?

It's also got one that dumps you in the minor injuries unit, via a lot of MUD.  (DAHIKT)

[Cudzoziemiec]

It's got some decent but short and disconnected sections on Baldwin St, which is right in the centre, Clarence Rd, and, erm, a thing that lets you do an otherwise banned left turn up a very steep hill across a pelican crossing when the green man is on. https://goo.gl/maps/bEwX3eg5GJtWKJ186
It's still easy and more pleasant to cycle from Bristol to Bath than from one part of Bristol to another.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Ministers face legal challenge over cuts to walking and cycling investment in England

The government faces a legal challenge to its decision to cut investment in walking and cycling in England, over claims that the move bypassed legal processes and risks scuppering commitments over the climate emergency and air pollution.
Lawyers acting for the Transport Action Network (TAN), a campaign group, have written to the Department for Transport (DfT) to formally seek a judicial review of the cuts announced in March by Mark Harper, the transport secretary.
The action comes at a perilous time for Harper and his team, who are expected to face heavy criticism later this week when the National Audit Office publishes a report on the DfT’s wider strategy for walking and cycling.
..

The challenge comes amid more general concern among active travel groups that Harper and Sunak have minimal commitment to the issue, and prefer instead to court culture war-related headlines criticising a supposed “war against drivers”.

When a tranche of active travel schemes were unveiled in May, anonymous government sources briefed newspapers that Harper had committed to not funding any low-traffic neighbourhoods and road filtering schemes that make walking and cycling safer.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on possible legal proceedings. We are committed to delivering active travel infrastructure that enables everyone to build healthier journeys into their daily lives. That is why we are investing over £3bn into active travel – more than any other government.”