Active Travel England - Boardman

pga
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by pga »

We are at a critical stage with Active Travel England and the very positive government initiatives to encourage cycling and walking. But the change in government leadership is going to be disastrous I feel. Andrew Gilligan, Boris's cycling czar at the GLC and later at the DfT has been sacked. Gilligan was behind the government's support for cycling and walking, I have met him on several occasions and he also impressed me as someone who was really up to the job.

More freedom to developers is on the cards. It is bad enough now as we find negotiating for better walking and cycling routes on car dependent major development areas. Cycle use dropped about 20% from 2020 to 2021 and we know the reason - the motorists are forcing cyclists off the roads, not just when they drive but when they utter anti cycling sentiments to all and sundry.

ATE has put a good team together and in theory have the tools but our politicians, national and local, and the highway engineers, again national and local, are a hard bunch to take on.
Jdsk
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by Jdsk »

ChrisButch wrote: 11 Oct 2022, 11:55am Definitely not off-topic was a piece in the Guardian a couple of days ago about the 'pro-growth' planning system reforms now likely. One of them was the slimming down of the 'statutory consultee' involvement in planning applications. And the specific example quoted was, guess what, ATE. This before it's even started. What a surprise.
Yes, very worrying.

But at least Boardman is in post, has got his team going (as above), and knows his way around the system.

Jonathan
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ratherbeintobago »

The other thing here is that the current government isn’t likely to be in power for long?
ChrisButch
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ChrisButch »

ratherbeintobago wrote: 14 Oct 2022, 8:42am The other thing here is that the current government isn’t likely to be in power for long?
Maybe, but you can't start/stop/restart a quango any more easily than you can a supertanker.
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mjr
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by mjr »

ChrisButch wrote: 14 Oct 2022, 10:41am
ratherbeintobago wrote: 14 Oct 2022, 8:42am The other thing here is that the current government isn’t likely to be in power for long?
Maybe, but you can't start/stop/restart a quango any more easily than you can a supertanker.
Yes. And if they fire Boardman, Deegan and co, or undermine them so they quit, they are unlikely to return even if ATE is restored.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Given they’re about to give Kwarteng the boot I think there are bigger more urgent problems than messing with ATE.
Jdsk
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by Jdsk »

Cycling UK page with support for writing to your MP about active travel and the imminent budget:
https://action.cyclinguk.org/page/11505 ... BC0tw_JmZQ

Please consider doing this.

Thanks

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Active Travel

Post by Jdsk »

Jdsk wrote: 25 Aug 2022, 12:50pm From another thread:
https://www.transportxtra.com/publicati ... rtid=71884
Prescriptions for walking, cycling and wheeling will be offered by GPs in 11 local authority areas in a Government trial. The councils will get a total of £12.7m, which will fund adult cycling training, free bike loans and walking groups.
Is this provided in any other country?
I don't think that the term social prescribing is widely used elsewhere, but the general concept is pretty common.

The Wikipedia article mentions Ireland and the Netherlands:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_prescribing

NB the tiny amount of money for these trials.
"Doncaster to offer bikes on prescription to boost health":
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-s ... 4mmb4XwNmY
https://www.cyclinguk.org/community-out ... Hi9u5_Hj9w

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Active Travel

Post by Jdsk »

New Sustrans paper:

"Helping people through the cost of living crisis and growing our economy. The role of walking, wheeling and cycling."
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/media/11397 ... 8HugaJIHY0

Jonathan
awavey
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by awavey »

they seem to have appointed Chris Whitty among others to some advisory panel https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir- ... sory-panel
Jdsk
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by Jdsk »

awavey wrote: 22 Oct 2022, 10:58am they seem to have appointed Chris Whitty among others to some advisory panel https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir- ... sory-panel
Excellent. Thanks for posting.

There are many problems where a public health approach offers the best way out of what seems insoluble. Recreational drugs is probably the most well-known. This might well be another...

Jonathan
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Yes, this is a really positive step.
ChrisButch
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ChrisButch »

awavey wrote: 22 Oct 2022, 10:58am they seem to have appointed Chris Whitty among others to some advisory panel https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir- ... sory-panel
The other three appointments are intriguing. Not least because 'The Office of Rail and Road', whose chair also joins, is a body which hitherto has passed me by.
ratherbeintobago
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Re: Active Travel England - Boardman

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Arup have done a lot of AT building work I think, and Andy Street has done a lot in B’ham (more than Burnham has achieved?)
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