#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No. 115

Hello and welcome to the big post-local elections edition, where it’s good news, and bad news.

THANKS ANDY.

During last week’s elections for local councils and city region mayors, Andy Street was sadly voted out. Sadly not least because Andy was a big supporter of active travel in the West Midlands. Elsewhere Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan retained their seats and have promised to keep delivering on sustainable transport.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

ALL CHANGE IN THE WEST MIDLANDS. I don’t do party politics but to do my job as Cycling & Walking Commissioner you have to have a boss with strong political courage and their backing. Change is hard but when it mattered, Andy Street backed me every single time to help make our roads better and safer. Thanks, Andy.

LONDON AND MANCHESTER THIRD TERMS. Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan have both pledged to keep delivering on transport, in particular providing alternatives for driving for local journeys. More and better public transport, they say, will help clean up their cities’ air and help make travel affordable for more people. 

CYCLE COMMUTING BOOSTS MENTAL HEALTH. That’s what a ream of researchers at the University of Edinburgh found, analysing census and health data from the 2011 Scottish census. Those who lived, studied and worked in Glasgow or Edinburgh and commuted by bike saw a 15% reduction in prescriptions for depression or anxiety, compared with non-cyclists. The benefits were greater for women.

15 MINUTE CITIES BOOK. The father of the 15-minute city concept has a few things to say. His new book seeks to ‘own the conversation’ after his idea has become, let’s say rather toxic and mired in misinformation. Carlos Moreno’s vision is that people, not cars, are given precedence in the urban realm. That means putting things we need within easy reach, not a citywide shlep, away. This CityLab piece discusses. 

NCN THOUGHTS. Safe cycle routes are of interest to so many people – including those who spend their free time getting muddy in the woods on bikes. Singletrack’s latest newsletter muses on the need for continuous, safe routes for everyday cycling, from riding with kids, to taking a trip to the shops. Read more here.

OTHER HEADLINES

INCLUSIVE CYCLING FOR MANCHESTER AND INVERNESS. Access to non-standard cycles is a first step to help more people cycle and new programmes in Manchester and Inverness will help local would-be cyclists do just that. The Inclusive Cycling Experience, funded by Motability and run by Cycling UK, will help people try out non-standard cycles, including via loans for everyday active journeys. 

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: 

One from Carlton Reid earlier this year, from his research into 1930s cycle tracks. It’s amazing to note just how popular cycling once was in the UK, far outnumbering motoring. Source: britishcycletracks.com

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Period cycle tracks. Some more love for Carlton’s amazing research into these historical separate cycle routes, which peppered Britain at their heyday in the 1930s. You can geek out on the map, if you so wish, here: https://www.britishcycletracks.com/cycle-tracks/period-cycle-tracks 

Until next time,

Miles

Miles Baker-Clarke

#BikeIsBest