Cycling Nationally
Nationally, cycling is being taken more seriously,
increasingly gaining a higher profile
Government policy now reflects much of what Cheshire East
Council has been saying for some while, in its pursuit of more
sustainable transport policies. Emphasis has shifted from meeting
the demand for car travel to encouraging better access by foot,
cycle and public transport. To help achieve this Planning Policy
Guidance suggests we plan for fewer and shorter trips, whilst
reducing the need to travel through land use policy.
Today more people than ever have access to cycles. This is
reflected in nearly a 500% rise in cycle sales in the UK since
1970. This is not however, equalled by a rise of cycle use, only
2.3% of people in the UK make their journeys to work by cycle; this
is compared to 11% of people in Germany, 18% in Denmark and 27% in
Holland.
There is increasing national as well as global recognition that
growth in traffic cannot continue. In the UK alone car traffic is
predicted to increase between 83% and 142% from 1988 to 2025. At
the Earth Summit in Rio world leaders recognised that current
trends in transport are not sustainable - whether it be in terms of
the consumption of natural resources, of air pollution or of
threats to our climate such as "global warming". The United Nations
have asked local councils to prepare a Local Agenda 21, its purpose
is to make us think about how better to balance human need with
care for our surroundings and to decide locally on the most
effective course of action. In relation to transport and to how we
travel, alternatives such as the cycle are now being considered as
a serious alternative to the car for some journeys.
So far cycling has received some national attention. Most
recently the National Cycling Strategy launched in July 1996, sets
the vision of more cycling and the objective to increase cycle use,
a central target is also promoted of doubling the number of trips
by cycle (on 1996 figures) by 2002, quadrupling the number of trips
by 2012. The Countryside Commission have also produced research
results on recreational cycling in support of their objective of
improving and extending opportunities for the public to enjoy the
countryside. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, in
their report on 'Transport and the Environment' set a target of
increasing cycle use to 10% of all journeys by 2005, compared to
2.5% now.
