A Mountain Biking Manifesto

With a snap election called in the UK, the key policies are already likely to be decided by the parties – the professional lobbyists who have been inf …

By stwhannah

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A Mountain Biking Manifesto

Make LTN1/20 a regulatory requirement, not just guidance.  The number of times highways authorities and designers say “well it’s just guidance” before coming up with a solution that is more dangerous than an unimproved road is unbelievable.

Competence assessment for cycle infrastructure designers too…

There’s no longer an upper limit on the cycle to work scheme. It’s up to your employer if they set a maximum.

@keithb A lot would be solved by increasing ATE’s funding, and giving multi-year funding settlements (though highways authorities need to understand they shouldn’t only build cycling infra when special funding is made available, should be whenever roads are redesigned/’improved’ from those budgets). I’ve said before that cycling represents about 2% of journeys, if ATE got 2% of the roads budget that would be a massive, game changing amount of money.

Also get involved in your local active travel campaign group.

I’m with a lot of that.

A few tweaks to make it near perfect…

Bike theft… none of this namby pamby  stuff. Solve repeat offences too in one go…

 

E-Bike subsidy. Yes. BUT only for commuter type bikes and cargo bikes.  Nobody, just nobody, is biking to work on a £13k Trek Fuel EXE. They are sticking it in the back of a diesel Transit of T6 and driving it 3 hours to a bike park in Wales. Absolutely NOT environmentally sound.

Take VAT off normal bikes too to encourage active travel. I despise having 20% robbed from me on bikes and bike parts, for it to be used subsidise the wealth of dodgy Tory party donors.

 

 

 

 

As we seemed to have veered into active travel already, the single thing which would make me feel safer on my commute

Mandatory driving bans for drivers using telephones. This is a not a momentary lapse of concentration, it is a conscious choice to not give a **** about everyone else’s safety.

And a lot of more of those new cameras which can detect it.

Keep a limit on bike to work scheme, otherwise it is just a tax dodge for very nice bikes. No issues with people buying nice things, but I do have an issue with those buying not in the intended spirit.

Competence assessment for cycle infrastructure designers too…

Infrastructure designer’s grandchild/child to be able to cycle the design unattended by parents or grandparent to be written into the brief for final sign-off.

@robertajobb Death for a second offence as we’re not monsters! EDIT also the internal cable threading should be for a minimum of 5 frames, it should ensure no further attempts.

18 year olds to do mandatory service in bike shops

All car drivers to do a compulsory 5 days a year commuting by bike. Those who have long commutes better start training.