Little Joy for Cycling in the Government’s Spending Review

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On 12 August 2013, David Cameron joined with Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Jody Cundy to announce a new government ambition to kick-start “a cycling revolution which will remove the barriers for a new generation of cyclists.” On 31 July 2015, the Infrastructure Act was passed, which placed a legal requirement for the Government to produce a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. This is all promising stuff, and so it would be reasonable to expect this commitment to be supported by suitable levels of funding. The Government’s latest Spending Review has just been published, so we thought we’d take a look to see what it has in store for cycling.

Unfortunately, the reality fails to match the previous rhetoric. The headline news is that for areas outside of London, more than £300 million has been allocated to cycling investment between 2015-16 and 2020-21. This includes delivering the existing commitment of £114 million for the Cycle Ambition City scheme. In their report, ‘Get Britain Cycling‘, the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group recommended that the Government create a cycling budget of at least £10 per person per year, increasing to £20. The current allocation of £300 million over 5 years equates to just under £1 per person per year. Even if this were to be on top of local authority spending, it would only equate to around £2 per person per year, which is well below the amount needed to deliver the Government’s commitment to double cycling levels and reduce the number of people killed and injured on the roads.

There is more bad news for cycling later in the Spending Review. The Chancellor indicates that “the government remains concerned about the growth of salary sacrifice arrangements and is considering what action, if any, is necessary. The government will gather further evidence, including from employers, on salary sacrifice arrangements to inform its approach”. The Cycle to Work Scheme is one of the most popular salary sacrifice schemes, where employees can make tax savings of up to 42% of the value of a new bike and safety accessories used for cycling to work. Thousands of cyclists have benefited from the scheme since it was launched and while not all have used their bike to cycle to and from work, the health benefits of using a bike regardless of journey purpose must surely outweigh the tax that is foregone by the Treasury.

This is a disappointing Spending Review for cycling and it means that Spokes will have to fight even harder to secure the funding that is needed to improve cycling infrastructure in West Berkshire.

Be Safe and Be Seen This Winter

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The clocks go back on Sunday, which means darker evenings. Spokes is urging all cyclists to be seen and be safe by using lights and reflectors on your bike. Without these, you are not only illegal, but drivers may not see you and your risk of being involved in a crash is much greater.

The law requires that you have a white front-facing light. a red rear-facing light and a red rear-facing reflector fitted to your bike if riding at night. You are also legally required to have front and rear-facing amber reflectors on both pedals.  The police have the powers to stop anyone they catch cycling without these and issue a £50 penalty.

There is a bewildering array of lights available from cheap ‘flashers’ costing a few pounds to high power units costing several hundreds of pounds. There is also a wide range of clothing that you can buy, including fluorescent and reflective kit.

What you buy will depend on the type of riding that you intend to do. Some kit is better than others, but the rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for.  If you only ride at night occasionally on streetlit urban roads, then the priority is to be visible to other road users. A set of flashing lights and perhaps a slap band on the ankle will suffice.  However, if you are rising on unlit roads, then you will need something brighter, not only to increase your visibility to other road users, but also to light up the road ahead of you. You may also want to invest in come hi-viz clothing – a combination of bright colours and reflectives helps you to be seen in both low light and night-time conditions. This useful video helps to demonstrate the various option.

Remember that Spokes members get 10% off all lights and clothing at participating local bike shops, including Banjo Cycles and the Specialized Concept Store in Newbury.

National Cycle Network Appeal

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Pretty much anyone who cycles in the UK will at some point have encountered the National Cycle Network – a series of safe, traffic-free paths and quiet on-road cycling and walking routes that connect cities, towns and villages up and down the land.

This audacious project was brought into being by the sustainable transport charity Sustrans. Their first project was the Bristol to Bath cycle track, which followed the line of the disused railway line.  During the summer of 1979 five miles of usable pathway were completed by an army of volunteers. By the early 1990s they had built cycle paths all over the country, but they weren’t linked together. So, in 1995, Sustrans campaigned and won the first ever grant from the Millennium Commission for £42.5 million to create a UK-wide network of high-quality, convenient routes. Today, the Network passes within a mile of half of all UK homes and stretches over 14,000 miles across the length and breadth of the country.

TV presenter and travel writer, Nicholas Crane, is championing a BBC Radio 4 Appeal for Sustrans to raise vital funds for the National Cycle Network in its 20th year. You can listen to the appeal on the BBC website. The money raised will help Sustrans to maintain and enhance the Network, and provide their volunteers with the training and equipment they need to carry out this vital work. You can help by donating; spreading the word to colleagues, friends and family; and sharing news of Sustrans’ appeal on social media. But hurry – donations close at 7:00AM this Sunday, 13 September.

We are hopeful that at least some of the funds raised will be allocated to carry out much needed maintenance work on NCN4, which connects Fishguard to London, passing through West Berkshire along the way, following the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath for much of its length. Although the route is popular for both utility and recreational cycling the path has been badly neglected. In places, the grass has encroached to such an extent that the path is less than a foot wide. In other places, the top coat of the towpath has been worn away exposing the larger stones beneath, which makes for uncomfortable cycling. Also, increasing levels of usage within urban areas has exposed the inadequate width of the path, leading to some conflict and ill-feeling between different user groups. Spokes will therefore be writing to Sustans and the Canal and River Trust, who have responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of the path to push for NCN4 to be at the top of the investment list and make it fit for purposes again, and restore the legacy for future generations.

Mind the Gaps

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The Council has recently set up a working group to look at where and how facilities for cyclists can be improved, and we are delighted to report that Spokes has a seat at the table.  This is a fantastic opportunity for us to influence how and where the Council spends their future highways budgets and to make sure that cycling is properly represented in their programmes.

We need your help to identify the gaps in provision for cycling and what new or improved facilities you would like to see, such as:

  • cycle parking
  • cycle routes
  • junction treatments
  • priority over side roads
  • parking restrictions
  • traffic management schemes
  • speed limits
  • surfacing improvements
  • signing and lining enhancements
  • lighting upgrades

We would like to hear from people living and cycling in all parts of West Berkshire from Hungerford to Calcot, Streatley to Brimpton Common, and everywhere in between. The focus will mostly be on encouraging cycling for everyday transport (e.g. journeys to work, school or the shops). However, we are also keen to hear about your suggestions for new or improved facilities for leisure and sports cycling.

You can share your ideas by emailing highways@westberkshirespokes.org or by contacting us via the website.

Bike Week 2015

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Bike Week is an annual campaign designed to promote cycling, encouraging ‘everyday cycling for everyone’. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK, whether this be for fun, as a means of getting around to work or school, the local shops or just to visit friends. The 2015 event will take place 13-21st June.

As the biggest nationwide cycling event in the UK, Bike Week encourages over half a million people to join in events, rethink their everyday journeys and choose cycling as the most convenient, healthy and fund way to get around. There are lots of  events planned for 2015.

This year’s Bike Week has a special focus on encouraging people to use their bikes to cycle to work. Why not use Bike Week to organise your own events? Organise a social ride with colleagues, scope out the easiest route to your place of work, find a cycle buddy, or take part in a workplace challenge.

Spokes are running two social bike rides during Bike Week, which are open to members and non-members alike:

We are also holding our AGM during Bike Week, so if you are a member or would like to join, then please come along.  We are really in need of people to help with all the cool projects that we have planned for the coming year.

Also, if you would like advice on any aspect of cycling from what kind of bike to buy to how to fix a puncture to choosing a route, or if you are interested in learning to ride or brushing up on your cycling skills with a bit of Bikeability training, then please contact us.