15) Bridge charity group
The CTC to establish a CTC bridge charity group (initially expected to be based on volunteers), with the aims of assessing the need, advising on design, and assist in raising funds to provide extra bridges or crossing facilities for rivers, roads or rail in regards to cycling.
Proposer’s note: CTC could assist in highlighting where an additional crossing may be worthwhile, provide design advice and help to raise funds. This could result in the CTC being more directly involved in providing more cycle routes and working with Sustrans or others to deliver them.
Proposer Colin Clarke, seconder Douglas Hope
Council response: Council opposes this motion. CTC is involved in the infrastructure debate at the highest levels. It would be a significant diversion from CTC’s agreed strategy to convene a group of volunteers to seek to deliver bridges in a market which is seeing reductions to funding, as public bodies respond to budget cuts, and is already served by organisations such as Sustrans
Sometimes major roads and motorways are being provided with poor crossing facilities for cycling. In North Yorkshire minor roads were sometimes closed as new motorways came along. On major A roads it seems few bridges are provided for cyclists or pedestrians to cross.
A CTC bridge group would probably consist mainly of engineer who could outline the best case for providing additional crossing facilities and in gaining maximum support. Motion 13, climate change policy, seeks additional funding for cycling infrastructure. Extra bridges as part of the improved infrastructure will be helpful. A bridge group should be able to identify locations and the most suitable type of structure required. Some credit to the CTC for promoting and acting in support of these bridges could also be useful as a legacy and acknowledgment to their work.
CTC net income for 2015 was £764,159 with assets of £4,587,624, so it appears that some contribution could be made to supporting extra bridges on occasions. If extra funding for cycling is provided by the government and the bridge group had some details ready for supporting suitable schemes, it could be helpful in justifying the extra funding.
CTC uses excuses and says ‘a market which is seeing reductions to funding, as public bodies respond to budget cuts’. Transport spending in 2005 was £16 billion, 2010 £23 billion, 2015 £19 billion, 2016 £27 billion. So the CTC reply is not accurate for total transport spending.
CTC says that the bridge motion ‘is already served by organisations such as Sustrans’. The CTC can become more involved and cater for many situations not related to the major cycle routes provided by Sustrans. Potentially there is more to be gained and little to be lost by supporting the motion.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/sites/default/ ... 201415.pdf