Whitehall dismisses call for national cycling targets

28 Aug 13
The Department or Transport has rebuffed a series of calls for national measures to encourage cycling, arguing that doing so would conflict with localism.

By Mark Smulian | 28 August 2013

The Department or Transport has rebuffed a series of calls for national measures to encourage cycling, arguing that doing so would conflict with localism.

Responding to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s report Get Britain cycling, local transport minister Norman Baker rejected the idea that the government should impose specific standards and infrastructure for cyclists regardless of local circumstances.

The report urged the government to set national targets to increase cycle use from less than 2% of journeys in 2011, to 10% in 2025, and 25% by 2050.

But the DfT said: ‘The government does not believe that to set national targets for cycling will encourage take up at local level.

‘It is for local authorities to decide on suitable/sensible ambitions for their local areas. A one-size-fits-all approach is not effective.’

Baker pointed to the Cycling Ambition Grant, where eight cities had made successful bids involving targets ‘but [these were] different given their local circumstances and current levels of cycling’.

The report had called for the Highways Agency, the DfT and local government to allocate funds to cycling at least in proportion to the share of local journeys made by bicycle.

But the DfT said the integrated transport spending block was ‘not ring fenced and allows local authorities to decide and implement the solutions that best suit their localities’.

The group’s suggestions of extension of 20 mph speed limits in towns, and a 40mph limit for many rural lanes, were also considered centralist.

‘Local authorities are responsible for setting local speed limits in line with their local conditions and requirement,’ the response said.

‘It is important that local authorities take a balanced account of the full range of impacts of changing speed limits, including economic and environmental effects.’

Baker said: ‘The coalition government takes cycling very seriously and we are committed to leading the country in getting more people cycling, more safely, more often.’

 

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