Am I just a miserable old cynic, that thinks it’ll never really see the light of day. Or that the councils will just paint more white lines in the gutters to claim the money.

Or do you think there will be a vast improvement in non motorised infrastructure

More here

councils will just paint more white lines in the gutters to claim the money.

very much this

Headline grabbing, I think.
Sounds like a big number but, in context of infrastructure, is peanuts.
It does, however, provide a further opportunity to hold the gov accountable when the promised investment fails to deliver anything tangible.

Massive changes in Edinburgh – closing the Mount and North Bridge to cars and forcing cross-Princes St traffic to go down Lothian or London Road. Changing bus lanes into segregated cycle lanes too.
Knock on effect to old town will be huge.

Unfortunately I think it’s more likely to lines on the road and maybe a few reroutes rather than any Dutch style super cycle lanes but maybe, trying to be positive, it’s the start of something good.

It’s part of the £5bn travel money announced earlier in the year, think it’s over 5 years so not new money, just a reannouncement.

They could invest it in more Police traffic enforcement, more magistrates to enforce the reported offences, and more staff at DVLA to take away all those licenses when they hit 12 points.

I suspect it it just riding the wave of current support for post lockdown changes and will just disappear in a cloud of pollution.

The dutch started in the 70’s and the Germans not so long afterwards, investing in their cycle infrastructure. The UK needs decades of constant investment not a one off 2bn promise. I will only believe a UK Government when they have proved they have actually delivered for their full 5 year term, none have managed in my lifetime.

Unfortunately I think it’s more likely to lines on the road

Traffic Management Act 2004: network management in response to COVID-19

Particular mention of segregation.

“Facilities should be segregated as far as possible, i.e. with physical measures separating cyclists and other traffic. Lanes indicated by road markings only are very unlikely to be sufficient to deliver the level of change needed, especially in the longer term”.

How can we not moan about it not happening, but as part of the cycling community – actually make something happen?

I’m going to write to my councillors – any other ideas? List them below!

How can we not moan about it not happening, but as part of the cycling community – actually make something happen?

I do wish people wouln’t bang on about “the cycling community”. No-one goes on about building roads for “the driving community”. You don’t put pavements there for the walking community. The argument for HS2 is not centred on the trainist community.

Just invest in proper infrastructure to move PEOPLE around effectively. If you actually invest in it, long-term, it will pay you back many times over. Problem is that most Governments, especially over the last 10 years, have all been short-termist, lead by the popular press and woefully lacking in any sort of vision.

You make it sound as though there isn’t a road transport lobby.

Massive changes in Edinburgh – closing the Mount and North Bridge to cars and forcing cross-Princes St traffic to go down Lothian or London Road. Changing bus lanes into segregated cycle lanes too.
Knock on effect to old town will be huge.

Really? My opinion of ECC is currently at its lowest ebb, really didn’t expect much out of them.

Would have loved to see the A8 cycle path upgraded, currently feels like it does more harm than good, too dangerous and poorly designed to be of much use, but obvious enough for motorists to carp and moan about cyclists not using it!

I’ve always thought that a lot of roads should be made into cycling lanes on one side and the other side turned into a one-way. We have a lot of narrow roads in the UK and this is really the only way to put alot of cycling infrastructure in.

2bn is a drop in the ocean. Chris Boardman said that developing the Bee Network for cycling and pedestrians in Manchester would cost 1.5bn alone.

I suspect it it just riding the wave of current support for post lockdown changes and will just disappear in a cloud of pollution

Very much this. I actually had a little chuckle at this expectation that people will keep cycling once lockdown is over (and the weather changes.)
Even the news that lockdown might be eased has got the roads a lot busier.
And what the hell is a “pop-up bike lane”? sounds brilliant.

Would have loved to see the A8 cycle path upgraded, currently feels like it does more harm than good, too dangerous and poorly designed to be of much use, but obvious enough for motorists to carp and moan about cyclists not using it!

The Roseburn Cycle Route got approval from the Reporter yesterday, objections set aside.

I saw that on the BBc News app earlier

Just above the stoty of a cyclist hit and killed by two cars; both of which failed to stop.

£2bn isn’t going to come near making motorists take the mental shift that will make cycling anything other than a high risk activity only suitable for those who are willing to take the chance, rather than a better alternative to sitting in a car

£2bn isn’t going to come near making motorists take the mental shift that will make cycling anything other than a high risk activity only suitable for those who are willing to take the chance, rather than a better alternative to sitting in a car

Yep – on Twitter there was the usual anti-cycling whataboutery from people so self centred (eg “I drive a van full of builders tools / I work a 12hr shift / I live 5 miles from my workplace and have to be there at 5am”) that they couldn’t see the central argument that this is about improving mobility options, not an either/or thing to force everyone out of cars and onto bikes.

Traffic Management Act 2004: network management in response to COVID-19

That doc is awful. The one thing that should be massively obvious to anyone who’s tried to cycle recently is that you always need a plan to be able to hop more than 2m away from the family walking four abreast or the oncoming jogger. Cramming everyone into a 2m wide walled ghetto would be a disaster.

Southampton seem to being doing a reasonable job apart from Death Junction at the Itchen Bridge

It is just re-announced funding from the budget earlier this year in February. Furthermore just £250m of it this year I believe.

Having said that, my region (South Yorkshire) has allocated a large proportion of their £166m of Transforming Cities Funding for active travel and has some very good people working on it, especially with Sarah Storey as the Active Travel Commissioner.

In the medium term there’s going to be a lot more cyclists on the road as workers will be scared of getting on the tube, tram, train or bus. Was listening to radio 4 today and someone was talking abour a 10 fold increase, thought I must have miss heard as that sounds extraordinary.

Never the less, I know people who are going to be cycling once they have to return to the office. That could mean changes begin to happen from the bottom up, drivers are going to be living in a new reality if the roads are thronged with pushbikes.

High quality segregated cycle lane being constructed fight outside my window in central Manc. I’d like to have my usual moan but in this instance it would feel a bit hypocritical.

Never happen, I seen what happened locally when the below happened.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/road.cc/content/news/207146-ayrshire-bike-lane-be-ripped-outfor-%25C2%25A395000%3famp

The same thing is gonna happen in another town locally, Troon, cracking 2 way cycle lane being built on a bloody mahoosive wide road, locals are apoplectic.

https://www.ayradvertiser.com/news/18262036.residents-vent-fury-new-troon-cycle-path-built-harling-drive/

Jesus wept.

There is a big Daily Mail reactionary element in this country who see anything cycling related as some sort of personal affront and threat to themselves. Miserable mean spirited sacks of shit.

E-bikes and e-scooters are a game changer I think too and should help incentivise people to cycle more, you get a critical mass and coupled with infrastructure should see more people cycling and it being seen as socially normal unlike now.

For example, the ride into Manchester is 15 miles for me and from Altrincham is 10 miles. For casuals, that’s quite intimidating to do every day but on an e-bike it’s basically half the distance.

I don’t ride e-bikes myself but concede that they basically increase the radius around a city from where cycle commuting is realistic. I didn’t see them like that for quite a while and assumed they were for fat people :D.

Cardiff just finished a cycle superhighway. Ok so it’s on a bit of a back road and IMO not particularly necessary but I haven’t used the area in many years so it might’ve got worse.

They have a plan for a network, which thankfully includes a cyclepath on Newport Road which is the only way into town from the East and is an utter nightmare and uncyclable for most people who have a choice in the matter. If done well it’d allow me and the kids to cycle to town off-road which isn’t really possible now.

I’ve seen some scattered improvements around South Manchester but it’s a long way from being a complete network or ‘joined up’ if that makes sense. I’m very fortunate to be able to take the TPT from almost my door into Manchester via the cycle path on the Bridgewater canal. That’s pure luck of geography. I absolutely hate riding on the roads in Cheshire/Manchester. I just don’t feel safe.

UK compared to Holland and also major cities in Australia (where I have spent time) is night and day. We’re 40 years behind.

I can see the virus, with its increase in cycling for exercise and fear of public transport, being a significant “push” to get more support for schemes up and running. The “pull” of ebikes will help extend how far people will ride, and remove the “getting to work all sweaty” barrier.

Have mixed views on “infrastructure”. I have commuted into Derby and Nottingham over the years. Both have patchy but generally ok provision, but I’m a bit cynical about big set piece super highways. The last mile or two of my commute is parallel to Nottingham’s first cycle super highway – I use the tow path, much nicer place to ride, if a little slower at busy times, which I can avoid.

I’d love lockdown to create a cycling revolution and car use decline going forward, but £2Billion is peanuts spread across the country and I feel it would take a big financial hit for many car owners to give them up despite ebikes for the less fit (or simply want to arrive at work non-sweaty).

A new tax for having more than one car per household could persuade people to change and get over their laziness.

I’m vaguely optimistic this CV will spark some sort of long term change. Short term it could just result in an increase in active travel AND and increase in car use as people seek to avoid public transport.

There is a big Daily Mail reactionary element in this country who see anything cycling related as some sort of personal affront and threat to themselves. Miserable mean spirited sacks of shit.

This is definitely a factor in the UK, but longer term CV could help change that. Apart from age, general health and fitness appear to be two of the bigger CV risk factors. Wouldn’t take a lot of effort to re-frame active travel and general fitness related activities as the patriotic duty of all citizens to protect the NHS. Thus your average overweight, waddling, garden centre cafe dwelling, cruise taking, wine chugging, SUV driving, mean spirited daily mail readers could find themselves as pariahs.

Being fat and unfit could be the new smoking.

I did notice one question in the press conference where this was announced saying the average commute in the UK was 9 miles which “could not be cycled”….
I’m probably biased, but seems OK to me – if slightly long. What would that be – about an hour if you factor in stopping at junctions and chaining the bike up etc?
One of those e-scooters could get that far in a charge though….

If they are serious about promoting cycling and walking, then they need to increase the penalties for death by dangerous driving and make causing injury by a car to a pedestrian/cyclist GBH if at fault.

Might we even the Daily Fail become pro cycling !!

All the people i see cycling in the last few months that look as though they have never cycled before and are cycling as it is a way to get out of the house will go back to cars as soon as they are allowed to.
This will be mainly because all the other cars are back on the road and scaring the shit out of them and making cycling on the roads a horrible experience again. Combine that with some wind, rain and much lower temperatures in 6 months time and the bikes will never come out of the shed again.

Another issue is where do folks put their bikes when they get to work.

Might be a solution to have some of the unused retail space converted into secure bike storage facilities.

Same idea for the ground floor of multi storey car parks, with some form of key pass to prevent scrotes from helping themselves.

They also mentioned bring forward the e-scooter trial:

A trial of e-scootersdue to take place next year will also be brought forward to next month. Initially set to take place in four local authorities, the trial will be extended to “every region in the country who wants them in a bid to get e-scooter rental schemes up and running in cities as fast as possible”.

Electric scooters – which can travel at up to 15.5mph – are banned currently on roads and pavements in the UK. The government launched a consultation about legalising e-scooters in March and would need to pass secondary legislation to legalise their use.

(from the Guardian). This may have more of an impact – having seen them used abroad they seem to appeal to normal clothing commuters more than bikes do.

I agree that the £250M is a tiny drop compared to what would be needed, but it’s a public signal we’ve not seen much of before – we have a government minister telling the people on the most visible current platform “you need to walk and cycle more”.

Cambridgeshire was putting together some pretty amazing cycling infrastructure before this all kicked off.

Not quite Dutch levels, but still pretty decent.

Meanwhile the buses are all empty.

A few lines on roads most likely.

Although some local authorities will try to bag some to sanitise trails for the dog walkers.

Unless they give cycle lanes priority rather than making you give way every 30m they will never be any use. Or make them so they dont have obstructions built in them like speed cameras or lamp posts, or make it illegal to block them with parked cars, or a personal favourite seen recently, completely block the cycle path to put up road signs during road works.

Round here they will pay 5 men in 3 lorries to paint pictures of bicycles at junctions. This will be done by a 3rd pary contractor , will cost £900 for each 15 min application of abit of paint.
The fat wallys who work in local government procurement will pat themsleves on the back and get a gold star for effort
no cyclists will be asked for their input
no segregation will be put in place,
no primary cycle get away traffic lights will be installed
with no significant increase in prosecution and penalties for hitting cyclists nothing will change

The roads are quiter now, but getting busier daily , but the level of risk that drivers are willing to take has also increased significantly. Even riding wide , blind overtakes into bends are now more common as the drivers calculate there will not be any oncoming cars due to the weight of traffic, till there is….