£114m boost as winners of second wave of Cycle City Ambition funding announced

“...this money can help Britain become a cycling nation to rival the likes of Denmark and the Netherlands."

It annoys me a lot when politicos suggest that the pennies being spent in limited locations will turn Britain into the Netherlands.

The cycling provisions in the Netherlands in 1935 were more advanced than they are in Britain now, and this funding is barely comparable to what the Netherlands spends on maintaining cycle paths in one province, never mind building them in the whole nation.

Still, MPs are pretty much all liars, so this is nothing new.

Re: Birmingham

Yes, their cycling infrastructure is a joke, though north warkwickshire and solihull isn't exactly brilliant.

There seems to be a signfican failing to grasp that bicycles are no pedestrians and the needs of the two are very different.

I just hope that all this infrastructure is good enough to be considered a better alternative to cycling on the road. Its pointless spending millions on cycle paths if its still easier to use the road.

The new road near my house opened tonight. When I enquired as to cycle lanes, the council proudly told me there would be a shared use path. Tonight as I cycled (on the road) I did notice the path would have been a useless alternative as it had several groups of people walking 4 abreast (the path is a nice size) so I would have had to slow down to get past (and then happily thank them for getting off the bloody cycle path that they shouldn't have been walking on in the first place ).

When are planners going to realise that token infrastructure is a waste of money if cyclists aren't going to use it because mixing it with traffic is still the quicker/more convenient option? Yes I know it will encourage more children and timid cyclists to get out, but it also encourages more punishment passes from cars as you're not using the bike lane "like you're supposed to"!

These grants should come with strings attached, that no more money will be given until the council can prove that the existing infrastructure they are installing from the last round of grants is actually being used and is viewed by cyclists as being a better alternative to the road.

Sickening that Birmingham have been given this funding again. The council have time and time again failed to deliver on providing cycling provisions. It is far and away the worst city I have ever had the displeasure of cycling in and is showing no sign of ever improving (aside from a few canal beautifying projects)
For the second year in a row the Sky Ride has been cancelled. This speaks volumes about the council's attitude that in the nation's second city a single weekend cannot be found to close roads that aren't even in the city centre.

I suspect that after the next election Mr Clegg will have a lot more time to spend out on his bicycle, so he's doing himself a favour.

Allowing a few pounds to be spent on city centred schemes makes it look like it's a concern, but in reality it's an appeal to middle class hobby cyclists to buy votes.

We need a National approach with real vision and a long term recognition that cycling is a viable method of transport, and the appropriate level of funding as part of a plan to get people out of cars and onto trains, buses and bikes.

Quote:

We are in the midst of a cycling revolution in the UK

I don't think so. In my opinion, we're just starting to take some very modest steps towards providing some facilities for cycling. If it continues, and gains momentum, then one day, we might be in the midst of a cycling revolution. For the moment, Clegg is getting way, way ahead of himself.

I see Oxford is spending it on a useless bridge.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11826377.New__bridge_over_Thames_will_p...

Can't say I've seen too much impact upon Birmingham so far..

“With the legacy of the 2012 Olympics and the Tour de France in Yorkshire last year still fresh in our minds, this money can help Britain become a cycling nation to rival the likes of Denmark and the Netherlands."

So, so very far to go. I flew into Schiphol last week and just coming into land you can see lovely looking cycle lanes alongside the roads and canals, the like of which I doubt we have anywhere in the UK. Still, baby steps I suppose.

Still waiting for Newcastle to spend it's first slice of CCA money, little evidence of it to date.

Drop in the ocean compared to construction of new roads. Hopefully it will be an indication of things to come.