#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No. 120

Hello and welcome to this week’s newsletter, where it’s Bike Week and there’s a regular reminder that twenty is plenty.

I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE

We’ve long known, here at #BikeIsBest, that cycling is overwhelmingly positive. It’s fun, healthy and good for our communities, what’s not to love? As it’s Bike Week, we’re extra proud to celebrate the humble bicycle’s power to change the world for the better. 

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

20 IN 20. Damage to vehicles has dropped 20% since the speed limit in Wales was reduced to 20mph, according to insurers. The changes are clearly having an impact, including reducing speed limits by 3% on average. 

SAFER IN 20... Last week, new data published by the Welsh government, showed the numbers of people injured on 20mph and 30mph roads dropped by almost a third in the final quarter of last year. This casualty reduction was credited to the default 20mph limit, introduced last September.   

AND BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Need I go on? Because the benefits of 20mph are large and the evidence around them is growing. 20mph, or 30kph, is the ‘critical threshold’ at which road safety, greenhouse gas emissions cuts and traffic flows, are optimised. 

THE OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE Build it and they will come is true, to an extent. But people also need to feel comfortable and confident using what’s built. That’s where skills training and confidence-building sessions come in to their own. This Bloomberg piece outlines what that looks like, and why it matters.

CAR BRAIN POLICIES, AGAIN. Announcements over the weekend supposedly ‘backing drivers’ are counterproductive. Prioritising motor traffic at the expense of alternatives will force more people into cars for short journeys, clogging up the roads for everyone. Meanwhile a plan to reverse 20mph and LTNs could pave the way for more LTNs, if 15% of residents sign a petition. Labour are trailing their own Plan for Drivers – do the main political parties realise there are other modes of transport available?

OTHER HEADLINES

BIKE WEEK IS GO. It’s Bike Week, which means events, and encouragement for more people to cycle. Cycling UK has a list of events and suggestions of ways to celebrate where you are. 

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: 

To celebrate Bike Week, cycling cartoonist, Dave Walker, has drawn a new illustration on ways to get involved. Source: WeAreCyclingUK

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Bike Hero. I love the idea of a bike hero – nominating someone you admire for their work in cycling. Here’s to celebrating the positive. 

Until next time,

Adam

Adam Tranter

#BikeIsBest