Are national cycling bodies doing enough engaging with the general election?

[breakfast2342]

Are national cycling bodies doing enough engaging with the general election?

What do we think of this from British Cycling. I have failed to find any mention of the election on the Cycling UK website.


https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campa ... -cycling-0

Published
31 May 2017
The three political parties that have formed governments over the past 20 years - Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - have all made commitments in their manifesto to improve everyday cycling.
This was not the case at the last general election in 2015 when British Cycling wrote to all party leaders asking for commitments in four key policies.
“The three political parties that have been in government all make commitments to every day cycling in their manifestos," British Cycling policy advisor Chris Boardman said.
"This represents progress from the last general election in 2015, and reflects what we at British Cycling already know – that demand from towns and cities across the country to prioritise cycling can no longer be ignored.”
WHAT THE MANIFESTOS SAY
“There is a long way to go, commitments are still vague, investment still low, and there is not enough focus on building the infrastructure necessary to enable normal people to cycle to school or work which would benefit society. We have recommended that the next government commits at least 5% of transport spend every year to delivering the infrastructure necessary to get Britain cycling."
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217807.png

The Conservative Party says it will continue to support local authorities after it published the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) in April. The Labour Party also commits to implementing the CWIS.
Neither party commits to increasing investment despite the current strategy falling well below recognised minimum levels with just £240 million identified which may be invested in walking and cycling.
British Cycling has said that investment should start at 5% of transport spend per year which equates to £1.4 billion in 2017.
The Liberal Democrats go further by saying they would deliver the Get Britain Cycling recommendations which are much more ambitious than the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. The recommendations include investing £10 per head on cycling per year rising to £20 per head which equates to £650 million rising to £1.3 billion per year.
The Conservative Party will take action against poor air quality but does not make specific commitments. It also says it wants to see well-designed public places including improving the quality of road surfaces but again makes no specific commitments.
The Labour Party makes strong commitments to reduce road deaths by adopting a ‘vision zero’ approach to transport safety. It also wants to encourage people out of their cars to help achieve cleaner air by introducing a new Clean Air Act.
The Liberal Democrats also make commitments to cutting air pollution by introducing a Green Transport Act and low emission zones in towns and cities.
The Green Party would reprioritise transport investment and have identified £2 billion per year from the roads fund to develop cycling networks.
What the manifestos say
Labour
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217910.jpg

• Long term strategy
“We will invite the National Infrastructure Commission to recommend the next stages for developing and upgrading the National Cycle Network. We reaffirm the commitments in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.”
• Pollution
“Labour government will consult on establishing an environmental tribunal with simplified procedures to hear challenges to unlawful government decisions, like those made on the air quality strategy, without engaging in prohibitively expensive processes.”
“Labour will introduce a new Clean Air Act to deal with the Conservative legacy of illegal air quality.
“Our plans will encourage and enable people to get out of their cars, for better health and a cleaner environment. Labour will position the UK at the forefront of the development, manufacture and use of ultra-low emission vehicles, supporting the creation of clean modes of transport through investment in low emission vehicles. We will retrofit thousands of diesel buses in areas with the most severe air quality problems to Euro 6 standards.”
• Safety
“After seven years of stalled progress, Labour will reset the UK’s road safety vision and ambitiously strive for a transport network with zero deaths, reintroducing road-safety targets, setting out bold measures that will continuously improve safety standards.”
• Funding
“We will refocus the roads building and maintenance programmes, connecting our communities, feeding public transport hubs and realising untapped economic potential.”
Conservative
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217914.jpg

• Long term strategy
“We will continue to support local authorities to expand cycle networks and upgrade facilities for cyclists at railway stations.”
• Pollution
“We will take action against poor air quality in urban areas.”
• Design
“Our towns and cities should be healthy, well-designed and well-tended places. We will encourage the very best practice in the design of buildings and public spaces, including a review of the design of government buildings, to ensure that when the state builds, it makes a positive contribution to a local area. We will do more to improve the quality of road surfaces, filling potholes – especially in residential areas – and reducing road noise.”
Liberal Democrats
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217909.jpg

• Long term strategy
“Design towns and cities as safe and attractive walking spaces and implement the recommendations of the Get Britain Cycling report.
• Clean air
“Air pollution in the UK is a killer. It contributes to 40,000 premature deaths a year and costs the NHS £15 billion. This year, London exceeded its annual air pollution target in just five days. The government has failed time and again to comply with EU limits on pollution.
"That’s why the Liberal Democrats will pass a Green Transport Act, introduce an Air Quality Plan to reduce air pollution and protect UK citizens, and support the manufacture of low-emission and electric vehicles, generating jobs and exports. This plan will include:
- A diesel scrappage scheme, and a ban on the sale of diesel cars and small vans in the UK by 2025.
- Extending ultra-low-emission zones to 10 more towns and cities.
- All private hire vehicles and diesel buses licensed to operate in urban areas to run on ultra-low-emission or zero-emission fuels within five years.
We will also reform vehicle taxation to encourage sales of electric and low emission vehicles and develop electric vehicle infrastructure including universal charging points.”
Green Party
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217952.jpg

• Long term strategy
Clean, safe, accessible public transport and more walking and cycling could make us all healthier and happier.
Invest in low traffic neighbourhoods and safe, convenient networks of routes for walking and cycling, including safe places for learning to cycle, so people of all ages and those with disabilities can choose to make local trips on foot, by bike or mobility scooter.
• Clean air
Create a new Clean Air Act, expanding and funding a mandatory clean air zone network.
Plaid Cymru
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217915.jpg

Plaid Cymru wants to see a real Wales-wide transport system, including re-opening the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth railway, improved Valleys line services, improvements to the A55 and the expansion of the Traws Cymru bus network. We will also ensure that walking and cycling is integrated with bus and rail services.
UKIP
image: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/320// ... 217907.jpg

No mention of cycling in manifesto.
Image credits
Theresa May - World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger
Jeremy Corbyn - Chatham House
Tim Farron - Liberal Democrats
Caroline Lucas - John Lubbock
Leanne Wood - Plaid Cymru
Paul Nuttall – European Parliament

Read more at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campa ... kALsZ58.99

[Richard Fairhurst]

Not national, but Cyclox are doing a cycling hustings in Oxford tonight, and CamCycle were going to run one but it was called off after the Manchester bombing AIUI.

[atlas_shrugged]

No not enough is being done. The Rep. of the Peoples Act (RPA) does not help as it effectively outlaws campaigning during an election period. If you are a little 76 year old lady campaigning against abortion and making the views of the candidates known to the electorate they will throw the RPA book at her and make her a criminal. Campaigning is tricky under such restrictions.

It would be good if we had the major parties making bold proposals. My favourite would be:

"We will build the UK's first cycling Velobahn (Greenway) between Oxford and Cambridge and will offer a prize for the first cyclist who makes this journey in under 2 hours".

This route could follow the old rail line which is still mostly intact (except in a few places which have been built over). A high quality surface would be required with crucially no junctions which requiring stopping. Complete segregation from motor vehicles would allow the use of very fast faired cycles. Google "Ristretto".

[Cyril Haearn]

No not enough is being done. The Rep. of the Peoples Act (RPA) does not help as it effectively outlaws campaigning during an election period. If you are a little 76 year old lady campaigning against abortion and making the views of the candidates known to the electorate they will throw the RPA book at her and make her a criminal. Campaigning is tricky under such restrictions.

It would be good if we had the major parties making bold proposals. My favourite would be:

"We will build the UK's first cycling Velobahn (Greenway) between Oxford and Cambridge and will offer a prize for the first cyclist who makes this journey in under 2 hours".

This route could follow the old rail line which is still mostly intact (except in a few places which have been built over). A high quality surface would be required with crucially no junctions which requiring stopping. Complete segregation from motor vehicles would allow the use of very fast faired cycles. Google "Ristretto".

Oxford to where, sorry? Oh, I understand there is a University in Cambridge too!

80 miles between O and C, can anyone do that in 2 hours? In any case the reopening of the railway has been talked about for decades. One imagines since the day after it was closed

[reohn2]

We've had seven years of lip service from the Tories who's austerity program has cut funding to local authority to the bone and are currently doing sweet FA outside London for cycling,with more prejudice against cyclists than ever against cyclists,and along with 20,000 job cuts to police jobs across the land cyclists are barely on the radar.
So I think we know what to expect from the Tories from a cycling perspective.

Labour in its present form ie;more left wing than the Blairite Toryesque form,is an unknown quantity cycling wise, but it's leader is a utility cyclist and has been for a very long time,he is also very much in touch with the possibility of what cycling can do for pollution and improvement of life for al as a result of thatl,so I remain optimistic.

The Greens and Lib Dems are committed to cycling from what can see but too small a party to have anything other than a local influence but are again an unknown quantity.

UKIP are one step down from the Tories and one step up from a sewer rat,with an abject proven liar of the lowest kind for a leader,so the least said the better,the NF and BNP with a human face would be a good description IMHO.

As for the cycling bodies,if they're receiving any form of funding of any kind from government they won't make any ripples that could jeopardise that funding so make up your own mind on that one.
My 2d's worth

PS,I'm a lettle biased does it show?

[Pete Owens]

No I think you are spot on.
The Guardian did a similar analysis here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/may/25/manifesto-guide-which-party-will-do-the-most-for-cycling

Whatever your political allegiance on other issues (and I doubt that even the most committed contributors to this forum will be casting their vote principally on cycling issues) - just judging from transport policies the order has to be:
Green
LibDem
Labour
Conservative
UKIP

There is no point in looking to an individual enlightened MP. Whatever, their personal claims they will be acting as lobby fodder for whichever party they are standing for. They might ask a helpful harmless ineffective question - but if the minister for transport embarks on a big road building programme then they will not be rebelling. The exception to this might be if a particular candidate has a track record of outspoken campaigning on the environment and puts a personal manifesto (eg Zac Goldsmith on Heathrow) - but don't rely on any warm words issued by individual candidates in response to questionnaires.

You then have to take account of our rubbish electoral system which effectively limits you choice to two in each constituency. Basically, (if you are voting on cycling issues alone) then vote for whoever is most likely to defeat the conservative candidate in your constituency (unless is is a Conservative-UKIP marginal). There are a few places where the Greens do have a serious prospect - Brighton, Norwich & Bristol - but elsewhere voting Green is effectively abstaining.

[reohn2]

Spot on!

[Pete Owens]

Was the surprise result caused by a late swing from CUK forum members?
At least in England:
UKIP wiped out.
Greens vote tactically - apart from Brighton.
Swing from Conservative to Labour rather than vice versa.
Zac Goldsmith is one of the few Consevatives to buck the trend.

Perhaps someone from north of the border could have analysed the SNP record.

However, the big question now is - What is the DUP position on cycling? It seems they are not averse to spending large sums on environmental projects.