Active Travel England - Boardman

thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by thirdcrank »

I'd feel a bit more confident if the job title referred to eg the Active Travel Inspectorate. ie An organisation with the authority to call in schemes, bids for government grants etc and assess them at every stage, with performance indicators based on results, rather than inputs. A plan to get more children walking or cycling to school? The PIs = increase in children walking / cycling to school and reduction in children being driven to school. And powers to impose sanctions when PIs indicate poor results.

All unlikely
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Active Travel England

Post by Jdsk »

I'd feel a bit more confident if the job title referred to eg the Active Travel Inspectorate. ie An organisation with the authority to call in schemes, bids for government grants etc and assess them at every stage, with performance indicators based on results, rather than inputs. A plan to get more children walking or cycling to school? The PIs = increase in children walking / cycling to school and reduction in children being driven to school. And powers to impose sanctions when PIs indicate poor results.
I haven't seen explicit PIs yet. But the possibility is there in the plans:

From next year, Active Travel England will also begin to inspect, and publish annual reports on, highway authorities, whether or not they have received funding from us, grading them on their performance on active travel and identifying particularly dangerous failings in their highways for cyclists and pedestrians.
It is our intention that the commissioner and inspectorate will in this regard perform a similar role to Ofsted from the 1990s onwards in raising standards and challenging failure.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... alking.pdf

Jonathan
mattsccm
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Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by mattsccm »

To my mind it is so funny how we can't agree on much. To me, much of what is said above is irrelevant. The very first things that needs doing won't be done by CB. It won't be done at all as it means forcing the motoring public to behave properly. The carrot will work for a few but a whopping big stick is the only thing that works. Presumed liability, 4 figure fines for near misses, disqualificvation for life for any proved at fault injuries etc.
Provision make help the city dweller but is sod all good for the rest of us.
Having said that, it's better than nothing of course.
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Active Travel England

Post by thirdcrank »

Going only on the government's media release, I see that Trudy Harrison is the Active Travel Minister. My ignorance, but that's the first I remember hearing of her. From her wiki profile I see she was elected (and re-elected) on a constituency-based manifesto and fair enough, but I see nothing to suggest any sort of background in sustainable transport. In fact, she was only moved to the transport department on promotion in the September 2021 Cabinet reshuffle. (Prior to that, she was Boris Johnson's PPS so perhaps that's the origin of any interest in cycling.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trudy_Harrison

Back to Chris Boardman, I hope he's able to make a real go of this. If it turns out to be the old, old story of cycling promotion schemes, I hope he has it in him to submit a high profile resignation. To reiterate, I hope this is a genuine step in the right direction.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Active Travel England

Post by Jdsk »

thirdcrank wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 2:32pm Going only on the government's media release, I see that Trudy Harrison is the Active Travel Minister. My ignorance, but that's the first I remember hearing of her. From her wiki profile I see she was elected (and re-elected) on a constituency-based manifesto and fair enough, but I see nothing to suggest any sort of background in sustainable transport. In fact, she was only moved to the transport department on promotion in the September 2021 Cabinet reshuffle. (Prior to that, she was Boris Johnson's PPS so perhaps that's the origin of any interest in cycling.)
I hadn't heard of her either.

But here she is on a bike and talking about cycling in 2020:
https://www.trudyharrison.co.uk/news/tr ... ng-cumbria

Jonathan
mattheus
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Location: Western Europe

Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by mattheus »

mattsccm wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 2:15pm The very first things that needs doing won't be done by CB. It won't be done at all as it means forcing the motoring public to behave properly. The carrot will work for a few but a whopping big stick is the only thing that works. Presumed liability,
Here you go:
"
Chris Boardman calls for presumed liability law to help get more people commuting by bike. Chris Boardman has urged the government to introduce a system of presumed liability, similar to that operating across most of Europe, to help get more people commuting by bike once lockdown ends.25 May 2020
"
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Active Travel England

Post by thirdcrank »

Thanks for that.

From your link
An updated Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be launched by the Prime Minister in the summer, with further measures to transform cycling and walking to deliver the government’s aims to double cycling and increase walking by 2025.
I'm not clear if that's her speaking or background spin but it's dated 26 May 2020 so the prime minister's summer announcement is a tad overdue, depending on which summer was meant. Talk of double cycling by 2025 sounds like véjà due, all over again. It sounds like Uncle Joe's Five Year Plans and more recently Two Jags' plan to double and redouble cycling.

I really do hope this is successful but politicians posing on bikes don't impress me. (Older readers will know that my collection includes a pic of a junior transport minister called Ken Clarke resting his gut on a toptube)
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Active Travel England

Post by Jdsk »

thirdcrank wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 3:18pm
An updated Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be launched by the Prime Minister in the summer, with further measures to transform cycling and walking to deliver the government’s aims to double cycling and increase walking by 2025.
I'm not clear if that's her speaking or background spin but it's dated 26 May 2020 so the prime minister's summer announcement is a tad overdue, depending on which summer was meant.
I think that the relevant announcements are:

"Cycling and walking plan for England" (July 2020):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... or-england

"Cycling and walking investment strategy 2" (March 2021)
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... strategy-2

and then I'm lost on whether the financial locations have yet been made.

Jonathan
philvantwo
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Re: Chris Boardman ....... Go Go Go

Post by philvantwo »

So how much is he getting paid? He opened the Boardman performance Centre and what happened to that.....closed up and standing empty!
He's all sizzle and no steak. :|
pga
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Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by pga »

What has happened to Gear Change under Dame Sarah Storey? I thought that is was to do the things that Active Travel is now to do, eg consult on major developments.

The lack of decent funding is a another example of a government all talk and nothing else to back it up. Cycling and walking need about £20 to £25 per head of population to match our most pro cycling European neighbours such as the Netherlands. That is a lot of money. Considering the disasters of Crossrail and HS2, where the return per pound invested must be well below a pound. As the National Audit Office pointed out a while ago, cycling and walking schemes are very cost effective, producing returns of up to eight pounds per pound invested.

I wish Chris Boardman the best of luck. He will need more than that alas.
.
Jdsk
Posts: 24639
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by Jdsk »

pga wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 6:24pm What has happened to Gear Change under Dame Sarah Storey? I thought that is was to do the things that Active Travel is now to do, eg consult on major developments.
It's the same programme:
viewtopic.php?p=1667637#p1667637

Jonathan
mattheus
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Re: Chris Boardman ....... Go Go Go

Post by mattheus »

This thread is a lot more useful now I've screened out 2 misery pits :P
rmurphy195
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Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by rmurphy195 »

pwa wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 8:52am The perfect job for Boardman, and the right person for the job. Pity it is only England.
And already subject to the BBC's anti-government bias (verging on anti-government propaganda) as exemplified by CB being challenged with anti-cycling propaganda on breakfast TV
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
mattsccm
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Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by mattsccm »

My comment about presumed liability was ill worded. That has been muttered about for ages and was meant as an indication of a tiny fraction of my suggestions. Personally I would be bunging life sentences on anyone who even injures through their driving . No excuse for being stupid.
Making it less than draconion is just gearing up to fail.
Carlton green
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Re: Boardman to be Active Travel Commissioner

Post by Carlton green »

mattsccm wrote: 23 Jan 2022, 6:14pm My comment about presumed liability was ill worded. That has been muttered about for ages and was meant as an indication of a tiny fraction of my suggestions. Personally I would be bunging life sentences on anyone who even injures through their driving . No excuse for being stupid.
Making it less than draconion is just gearing up to fail.
Some years back a vehicle headed down the road at a pace towards me on the wrong side of the road, I had no escape route open to me and could only stop. Both cars were written off and I was very lucky that the crumple zones off both cars collectively absorbed the other car’s energy, I could have been killed but walked away from the incident. Fortunately for me I had an independent witness and the insurance company paid up.

Now here’s the shocking thing: the Police never prosecuted the other driver. I’ve always wondered why that driver wasn’t prosecuted but that’s life and it does highlight that the Police sometimes don’t use the powers that they have ... it’s a lottery. If you injure someone else in an ‘accident’ or cause other serious damage then loss of driving privileges should be virtually automatic. Being stupid is not an acceptable defence for damaging others or property whilst in charge of a motor vehicle.

The level of retribution you suggest just isn’t going to be acceptable to the public, but a lesser level might well be. I’ve mentioned more tiered driving licences before (on this forum) and think that reducing the power of what people are licensed to drive would be an acceptable and measured response.

Presumed liability is a better way to go than we currently have. However all of us have seen some cyclists and some pedestrians do ridiculously dangerous and stupid things so a balanced approach is needed.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
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