Booking is essential to ensure everyone has a chance to have a hands on experience. To book call Richard on 07786066626 or email-powpowell@llewop.freeserve.co.uk
PLEASE send this or your own letter by email to this EU MP before Tuesday, December 18.
Brian Simpson (United Kingdom) brian.simpson@europarl.europa.eu (CTC has prepared an online petition here)
To brian.simpson@europarl.europa.eu
There are 35 million citizens cycling every day. There are more than 100 million Europeans that cycle regularly. Yet cycling is in danger of being left out of important European transport funding and policy.
In December 2011, the European Parliament showed that it saw potential for significant growth in cycling and that it was a priority case for European investment by recommending that the European Cycle Route Network, EuroVelo and associated cycling facilities should be included in the Trans-European Transportation Network (Ten-T) strategic transport network.
CTC, the UK’s national cycling charity and ECF feel that, despite last year’s supportive recommendations, the European institutions are now ignoring, forgetting and failing the millions of European citizens cycling in Europe. As a democratically elected body, European Parliament must listen to its citizens.
I call on you, as a UK representative and Chair of the Transport Committee to respect 100 million European citizens and the actions of the parliament by restoring cycling to its appropriate place in the Ten-T guidelines.
If you do not, you are disrespecting the needs of 100 million citizens and the huge potential for economic growth, carbon reduction and reduced congestion that investing in cycling can bring.
In the vote on the 18th of December, please vote the amendments with the following content:
– Integrate EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, into the Trans European Transportation Network (TEN-T)
– Improve, develop the road infrastructure / conditions of cycle routes that run along the TEN-T Corridors
– Implement safe (grade separate) intersections when TEN-T infrastructure corridors cross local, regional, national cycle routes.
Yours sincerely,
Any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact European Cyclist’s Federation (ECF) Regional Policy Officer,
Ed Lancaster. (e.lancaster[at]ecf.com)
A manifesto to make UK urban transport amongst the best in Europe
The UK’s urban transport systems lag behind the best in Europe because our transport policy-makers are too timid, too old and too male-dominated, and don’t have enough cash to spend, according to a new book by John Whitelegg – see
Whitelegg has stated the obvious but who is going to listen. There’s none so deaf as those who don’t want to hear.
Continue reading “The cycling times are a-changing and the Times is a-changing cycling”
The European Cycling Federation (ECF) recently met with Siim Kallas, the EU Commissioner for Transport, calling for the EU to give priority to cycling in its transport policies and funding. Currently 7% of Europeans choose the bicycle as their main mode of transport but don’t receive an equitable proportion of the transport budget.
The ECF has been repeatedly pushing the EU to invest more in cycling, demanding 10% of transport subsidies be earmarked for cycling so that 15% of all trips are done by bicycle by 2020. The European Commission has repeatedly called for more active forms of transport. The EU White Paper on Transport demands a “transition from a primarily car based personal mobility in cities to a mobility based on walking and cycling” and no more conventionally-fuelled cars in cities by 2050.
1. DfT stats show that numbers of cyclists killed or seriously injured in road traffic incidents has gone up sharply – see here
That’s what happens of you have a ‘cycling revolution’ without the safe space and infrastructure.
2. Car shaped bike parking are being rolled out across Hackney in London. Convincing evidence that you can park up to 10 bikes in one car space – see here
3. Public bike pumps – see here
4. Fancy a bike donkey? See here
More cycling-related info soon – watch this space!
Within two days two high profile cyclists have been injured and hospitalised which has generated a lot of debate as to how safe it is to cycle. All this blog can do is open up a few thoughts on the subject.
Take a look at this info: 8 short summary pages & count the number of times the word ‘accident’ is used.
From a cause & effect angle my ‘accident’ question is highly relevant. The answer is nil times yet the media demonstrates no understanding of the fundamental difference between an accident, an incident, a crash and a collision. Please see www.brake.org.uk the road safety charity, for the references used below.
Continue reading “Is cycling dangerous? Could not cycling be more dangerous?”
Types of cycling
There are many types of cycling – in fact, as many as there are types of bikes. Essentially, this boils down to 3 main categories:
The following summary is a very general overview covering all the main sub-groups. Note: Many cyclists fit into more than one sub-group in more than one category. Which one[s] do you do?
Cycling has many benefits – from being an efficient use of space to helping combat climate change.
The benefits of cycling are numerous amongst which ……
It’s a cheap and reliable way of providing mobility for large numbers of people and money spent on providing better cycling conditions has a beneficial effect on all transport users. Top-quality cycle routes can be built for a fraction of the price of many road schemes.
Cycling makes efficient use of space which is at a premium in most towns and cities. Road capacity is increased perhaps tenfold if bikes are used instead of cars and some ten cycles can be parked in one car space.
Cycling is good for the environment: With the increasing concern over climate change, energy conservation is now a priority in most countries and it’s worth noting that a cyclist can travel about 500km on the energy equivalent of a litre of petrol. Furthermore the fuel a cyclist uses – food – can be locally grown and cycles use very little fossil fuel – just a little oil from time to time! Of course, food production does involve fossil fuels, as does manufacturing cycles, but less than in manufacturing motor vehicles. A cyclist also produces far fewer carbon emissions, is almost noiseless and produces no pollution.
Hi, I’ve undertaken to blog about cycling on behalf on Transition Tynedale and my first post is to point to two excellent cycling development websites. The first one reveals how Holland became a truly cycling-friendly country and the second on is a brief account of how Oregon USA became cycle-friendly. Both are eye-openers – just how good would it be if the UK followed a similar route. Cycling has never been more popular in the UK and its still rising so we must keep up the pressure and never give up hope.
Transition Tynedale 