#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest No. 103
Hello, welcome friends to this, your all-singing, all-pancake-flipping, love-filled newsletter, where there’s no singing or pancakes, in fact, but there will be a lot of love for cycling and walking
#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 103 | Thursday 15th February, 2024
ALL CYCLING AND WALKING NEWSLETTER, RIGHT HERE
So yes, it’s actually about cycling and walking. Why we love it, what’s getting in the way and sometimes, why is there a car blocking the pavement? Hopefully, all will become clear very soon. Let’s get into it.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
FUNDING FOR FARMERS FOR PATHS. Last month the government announced funding for landowners to have paths across their land - and Sustrans has published a blog post about how that might work in practice. We know landowners can stymie traffic-free routes, and financial help might be the thing that tips the balance in a safe cycle route’s favour.
£48M! COUNTY WIDE! CYCLING AND WALKING ROUTE! Lucky Gloucestershire residents will eventually be able to enjoy a £48m county-wide walking and cycling route, designed to cut congestion and carbon emissions. The 26-mile route will link Stroud and Bishop’s Cleeve, passing through Gloucester and Cheltenham - and local councillor David Gray hopes it will help people leave their cars at home.
CALLS FOR PAVEMENT PARKING BAN. We know pavement parking can seriously hamper people from getting around on foot and by bike, and yet in much of the UK it’s still allowed. The BBC reports on a Local Government Association report, produced by Sustrans and Living Streets. Vehicles blocking pavements is one of the biggest complaints from pedestrians, according to an LGA spokesperson, and particularly impacts disabled residents and those with disabilities.
LBS LOVE. Your local bike shop needs you. That’s the cry from Jenni Gwiazdowski, owner and founder of the London Bike Kitchen. After hearing cries of ‘we didn’t realise they were struggling’ after bike companies closed, rather than pretending everything is OK Jenni has chosen to outline what the struggles are for a small bike shop, workshop and skills-building enterprise like hers. You can read part one, and part two.
FIVE WELSH TRANSPORT POLICY CHANGES. Lee Waters, the man in charge of cutting carbon emissions in Wales, has written a blog outlining five major changes in Welsh transport policy. Among them are big hitters like the new road building policy, 20mph in urban areas, bus reform and integrated ticketing for public transport. Read on, here.
OTHER HEADLINES
ROUNDABOUT JOY. Not all of us can get excited about roundabouts, which is a shame really. This roundabout, in Hackney, is actually genuinely exciting, having been transformed from a high-speed, high traffic scary wheel of traffic to a kerb-protected haven for cycling and walking. One local mum and bike-fitting business owner rejoices at the improvements, and how they help her kids cycle somewhere such a thing would have been impossible.
INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: The proportion of active travel trips in the UK: Source
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Cyclable. This is not just about distance, but the presence or absence of safe routes between start point and destination. Journeys are cyclable if they are both the right length, and convenient and safe enough to cycle.
Until next time,
Adam Tranter
Founder, #BikeIsBest
Hi Adam, just wanted to say thanks for including the article on Funding for Farmers for Paths. We have a bridleway near where I live which is part of NCN 1 and which is only really fit for a mountain bike. I'm hoping that this might provide an opportunity to get the surface improved so that more people can use it.