Transport - Cycling & Active Travel Page
This is where we'll add any interesting and useful stuff about cycling. Please do send in any suggestions for content to be added here. There are shared resources which may be useful for local groups at the bottom of the page.
Cycling: Wiltshire Council documents and links
This link is for the page on Wiltshire Council's website on Town Cycle Networks, and also shows the schemes for links between urban areas which are proposed and/or part-progressed. Town maps show existing routes, and potential routes within and around the towns, but many are overlooked and out-of-date.
We would like to invite anyone interested to assess the routes outlined for their local area using this tool. This will be a focus for our Topic Group and we intend to feed back via local Area Board reps - please join us if you can help.
Members of Transport Topic Group recently met online with the Director of Highways and Environment and some other key personnel at Wiltshire Council with responsibility for cycle schemes. The notes of the meeting are here.
Analysis of responses to Active Travel (Pop up cycle lanes) Consultation
Wiltshire Council Freedom of Information gave us the statistics from the consultation on the Emergency Active Travel Fund Schemes ending Jan 2021. Two Transport Topic Group members analysed them and produced this two-page analysis of the results. Non-cyclists generally disliked the schemes, and cyclists generally liked them, which should come as no surprise. The fine details may be interesting...
Objection to decisions on Active Travel Scheme Consultation - Feb 2021
WCA Transport Topic Group Convener Andrew Nicolson has objected to these decisions and associated recommendations by Bridget Wayman on the cycle and active travel funded schemes for West Wiltshire (Tranche 1, existing, and Tranche 2, proposed) that were the subject of the consultation ending 8th Jan 21. Andrew's response is linked here.
Cycling: Government guidance, policies, announcements etc
Policy paper Cycling and walking plan for England: Sets out a vision for a travel revolution in England's streets, towns and communities. Published 27 July 2020
This government document gives guidance to Local Authorities intended to help design 'high quality cycling infrastructure'. Published 27 July 2020
Dave from the Transport Topic Group, has provided this summary of key points from the combined government guidance, and identified that current Wiltshire council plans and approaches in many places fall short. To access government funding for active travel and other cycle funding, it's clear that LAs must meet the new design guidance.
Also we note that LTN1/20 seems quite urban-focused and as such needs some translation and adaptation for rural areas and market/smaller towns. Exceptions to the guidance will have to be justified but will be acceptable where no other solutions can work/a case is made.
Cycling: Local organisations in Wiltshire and around
WCA member group, see their web page and WCA member information
Cycling: Information and articles from other organisations
We were very pleased to be joined at our July meeting by Max Longley, Sustrans regional Network development lead covering Wiltshire. Alongside maintaining the National Cycle Network (NCN) routes, Sustrans are working with Wiltshire Council to prepare the LCWIPs (Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans), at the moment concentrating mainly on the Salisbury/Wilton area). There will be opportunities to comment when LCWIPs go to consultation.
The recording of the Q&A session is linked here. The presentation slides are available here. In addition Max shared this list of tips for designing and lobbying for active travel routes.
Max invites questions, suggestions, feedback and support from local cycling advocates.
This easy to read report by Sustrans, debunks each of the main arguments against active travel investment and provides evidence to help counter these arguments. It is a great source for facts to argue for investment in active travel and to support and challenge LAs in the development of their Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plans (LWCIP)
Sustrans say 'This guide is designed to help local communities through the process of developing a new route or network for walking and cycling. We have gained considerable experience across all aspects of walking and cycling strategies, network development, route design and community engagement. Our engineers have detailed knowledge of highway design and have worked on some of the most prominent cycling projects across the country.'
Cycling UK are inviting cyclists to add their 'missing links' to an interactive online map of the UK. 'Missing links' are off-road routes that, if useable, would open up access to parts of the countryside or other routes. We can monitor the suggested links in Wiltshire to inform our recommendations to Wilts Council.
A really useful, accessible overview of benefits and considerations in designing cycling provision, and how to actually achieve them, with input and endorsement from a number of national cycling campaign bodies.
Cycling: Shared Resources for Local Groups
Health Benefits of Cycling & Walking
Our group is often frustrated that the obvious benefits of active travel for physical health, mental health and wellbeing, and the connected economic benefits (savings for the NHS, more local spending etc) still don't seem to help move the dial in transport planning.
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The case for the health benefits is put very powerfully in this recent open letter from a group of Colchester medical professionals, allied to the local cycling campaign group.
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The two linked reports below strongly evidence the economic benefits:
Investing in Cycling & Walking - the Economic case for Action (DfT, March 2015)
The Value of the Cycling Sector to the British Economy: A Scoping Study (Transport for Quality of Life, June 2018)
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Cycling for all and for transport - Ideas and Images
This presentation is a working collection of images and testimony depicting the varied modern uses of bikes and available adaptations for transport. It seeks to break down some barriers to the view that people need cars and vans to do everything, and promote cycling for all, not just lycra-wearing men! It also includes the story of how Copenhagen became such a beacon of cycle-friendly living.
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Some more inspiring suggestions and images promoting alternatives to car use for journeys involving shopping and carrying loads are on this page from Salisbury's People Friendly Streets website.
Royal Wootten Bassett Route Priorities Presentation
This presentation summarises the work done to date by the local environmental group to develop plans for a cycle network for Royal Wootton Bassett. It is based on lots of community consultation, including surveys with the outputs summarised, together with relevant national Wiltshire and local policy. Prioritised routes have been developed using Google Mymaps, which anyone can use, to show the routes and specific interventions that are needed to make them happen. It is being used by the Town Council and as a way to help Wiltshire consider where it next allocates budget.
This tool is for government, councils, consultants and campaigners. It works from an interactive map, at www.pct.bike. See a <5 minute video there or on YouTube. There are also more instructions here.
It predicts how many people would cycle and where, using Census and government travel data. You choose between Commute or School, and between now (2011 Census) and four future scenarios :
Go Dutch (people are as willing to cycle as they are in Holland now)
E-bikes (...and willing to make longer hillier trips)
Government Target (to double cycling by 2025), or
Gender Equality (women/girls are as willing to ride as men/boys).
Then you zoom in on the map, right down to local ward level, play with various controls, and find out where people would want to ride if they had decent conditions. That lets you plan some investment, test scenarios, predict benefits and more. There are case studies such as Cornwall (five towns), Hereford (small city, bigger than Salisbury, Trowbridge or Chippenham), Kenilworth (smaller than them), Tunbridge Wells (study of cycling to the station) and West Sussex (study of e-bikes potential).
Not forgetting... Walking
This website is the result of 700 volunteers mapping over 100,000km of routes during the Spring 2020 lockdown. You can add to the network, find or verify a route near you. The aim is to connect up settlements and in their words 'make it easier for people to imagine, plan and go on walking journeys'.