#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No.78

#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 78 | Thursday 24th August 2023 | View in browser

Hello and welcome to this week’s newsletter from the world of active travel.
JE SUIS UN CYCLISTE
As France helps boost cycling as a low-carbon means of transport, and two cities in the south of England get new cycling leaders, there’s also a wake-up call this week for the industry as a whole on its lack of diversity. Acknowledging the problem is just the first step, and hopefully we are on that journey now - it’s long overdue.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
FRANCE GOES BIG ON LOW-CARBON CYCLING.
We know cycling as low-carbon transport, but it’s one that’s ‘often overlooked in energy policies, investments and subsidies in the transport and mobility sector’, as the European Cyclists’ Federation puts it. France is bucking that trend, investing €275 million via energy efficiency certificates, and growing pedal power with it.
CYCLE ROUTE A TOURISM BOOST
The Cantii Way, a 145-mile leisure route launched by Cycling UK last year, has boosted tourism in Kent, according to the charity. Designed to draw tourists off the beaten track, 5,000 visitors have downloaded the map so far. With cycle tourists spending around £84 a day, according to Sophie Gordon, it’s no doubt helping support local businesses and green jobs.
CYCLE INDUSTRY NEEDS A SHAKE-UP.
An industry that represents society can better serve everyone, attract customers, and new perspectives and ideas. The cycling industry, sadly, is still led by mostly white, heterosexual men, according to a Bicycle Association report. Worse, the survey of 1,123 people in the industry revealed widespread ‘unfair treatment, including harassment’, with nearly half of disabled employees keeping their disabilities hidden. Sadly, females and those from minority groups are more likely to leave the industry. This is a wake up call and crucial reading.
JON SNOW ON CYCLING.
The ‘legendary TV journalist’ Jon Snow has spoken to the Camden New Journal for its ‘cycling special’ edition, on the independence that cycling affords, the wonders of safe cycle routes and how being on a bike helped him get to news stories first.
BUS GATE DRAMA
Bus gates don’t sound like something anyone would get excited about, but one in Brighton, hyped as the UK’s highest earning, is under the spotlight. Raising £1.5m for the council last year, with 100 infractions per day, one blogger points out the signs leading up to the restrictions, designed to expedite bus travel, are plentiful. If people aren’t heeding them, it’s hardly the bus gate’s fault. As noted, fines usually settle down after six months, when even the less observant take heed.
JOYRIDERS ON CYCLING.
In the same edition, the Journal has a positive piece on JoyRiders, the cycle group helping women grow confidence and skills in cycling. We know women are under-represented in everyday cycling, for a variety of reasons, and groups like Joy Riders are crucial in creating a supportive community in which more women can experience the joy and freedom of cycling for themselves.
LEGACY OF CYCLE SPORT.
Part of the wonderful thing about cycle sport is the legacy it can leave for everyday journeys to be done by cycle… and this is exactly the issue columnist Mark Ruskell, from the National, ponders, after the UCI’s hugely successful Cycling World Championships leaves Scotland. With substantial investment in active travel, at a whopping £58 per head, the future is bright for cycling and walking in Scotland.
OTHER HEADLINES
ACTIVE TRAVEL LEADERS ON THE SOUTH COAST.
We know leadership is key to help deliver walking and cycling, which is why it’s great news Bournemouth has its first Bicycle Mayor, while Plymouth has a new walking and cycling champion, as both cities look to boost active travel. Plymouth’s Councillor John Stephens will help identify and bring about active travel improvements as part of the city’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, while Bournemouth’s Derek Heritage will work with the BYCS alliance to help push for active travel in the city.
INTERESTING GRAPH(IC) OF THE WEEK
POSITIVE ACTION. Seven actions for change, this week, for the industry, from the Bicycle Association’s diversity perception survey. Source: Bicycle Association

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Diversity. Including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.
Until next time,

Founder, #BikeIsBest
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