An article from today's Times newspaper..
“When I see an adult on a bicycle,” wrote HG Wells, “I do not despair for the future of the human race.” Except for that particular bit of it, perhaps. Cycling in Britain, and particularly in London, is a shockingly dangerous pursuit. In the past decade, cyclists killed on our roads outnumber servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by a factor of two. In London, this number is rising.
In November of last year, Mary Bowers, a 27-year-old reporter for The Times was run over by a truck outside this newspaper’s offices. She is still not conscious. Most Londoners, by now, will have a friend or relative who has suffered a cycling accident, or at least a lucky escape. As one trauma surgeon points out, if a new infectious disease was causing this horrible toll, something would be done. Something must.
Today, The Times launches a cycling manifesto, calling for an overhaul of the approach taken to cycling in British cities. A population which travels by bike is an inherently desirable thing. Cycling is cheap, green and healthy. Transport infrastructures in many of our cities are creaking, and a growing number of people are eager to lessen the strain. They should not be at risk.
More must be done to make existing roads safer, and the manifesto contains proposals about sensors on larger vehicles and speed limits. Cycle awareness, also, should be a core part of any driving test. But making Britain fit for cyclists is not simply a matter of painting the occasional stretch of road blue, or of alerting drivers to the dangers they pose. In places, our cities must be re-engineered. Overhead platforms, reclaimed land alongside railways, time-shares on existing roads; nothing should be ruled out.
Erratic and patchy measures are not enough, as has been seen with several deaths at points where London’s existing cycle superhighways share space with motor traffic. In Copenhagen, where 80 per cent cycle once a week, the infrastructure is based on the theory of “the net”, with routes that are sealed and safe from beginning to end. This must be our model.
All of this will cost money, and lots of it. As part of our manifesto, The Times suggests that two per cent of the Highways Agency budget should be earmarked for cycling, providing about £100 million a year. This will make for a major cash injection, but it will not be enough. Drivers may feel that cyclists should contribute directly; in fact the vast majority are drivers, too, and already do. Moreover, a campaign to boost cycling should not begin with a disincentive to take to two wheels. The Barclays Cycle Hire scheme, known colloquially as “Boris Bikes” has been a success. Perhaps, on a city-by-city level, some similar sponsorship of cycle routes could be found.
The municipal nature of this campaign cannot be overstated. Britain is poised for a local government revolution, with elections for directly elected mayors across England expected by the end of the year. Those who wish to be mayor should be competing to transform their cities into world class bike-friendly zones. Cities ahead of the curve, such as London, should move faster. There should be a Cycling Commissioner, directly responsible for cycling infrastructure and safety.
Britain is failing cyclists. In too many of our cities, the business of commuting on two wheels is unpleasant, dangerous and frightening. Many drivers and pedestrians rightly resent cyclists for their law-breaking; many cyclists resent drivers and pedestrians for their lack of savvy about their fragile companions on the road. All would benefit from a better cycling infrastructure, as seen by the way that, in many European cities, such problems do not exist. Motoring is getting less dangerous, cycling should be doing the same. It is time for a change of gear.
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