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Cyclists invited to have their say in CTC's National Cycle Plan survey

CTC will present findings to the DfT

The CTC is inviting cyclists to complete a survey sharing their views on what policies and proposals should be included in the National Cycle Plan, and how they should be prioritised. The CTC will then compile a report which will be presented to the Department for Transport.

In June the Prime Minister announced that the DfT would produce a National Cycle Plan to start a cycling revolution in England.

The government released its vision for a low-carbon economy of the future, committing itself to a National Cycle Plan in which cyclist is viewed `as a mainstream form of personal transport.’

The Plan represents an opportunity substantially to increase the use of cycling, and should set out what the aim for cycling should be, how much investment it requires, and what needs to change in order to achieve that increase.

Although Transport Ministers seem genuinely keen to promote cycling, their officials have been given very little time to prepare the Plan, and CTC understands that a public consultation exercise is unlikely. CTC still believes the National Cycle Plan can be an inspirational document which sets us on course for really substantial increases in cycle use.

To make your voice heard visit the CTC website to complete the survey at www.ctcsurvey.org.uk/index.php?sid=47267&newtest=Y.
 

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Fringe | 14 years ago
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or 'cycling, tea & cakes'

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cat1commuter | 14 years ago
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From the "about" page on the CTC website:

Quote:

As the UK’s National Cyclists’ Organisation, CTC has been protecting and promoting the rights of cyclists since 1878. CTC is a not-for-profit organisation that is funded through its membership and donations in return for support. By joining CTC you are supporting UK cycling and giving us a louder voice when campaigning locally and nationally on the issues that are important to you.

That's why I'm a member (plus the benefit of legal cover). I've been out on one of the local group's rides, but they're a bit slow. Their pace will probably be fine for me in about 25 years when I retire!

Actually, as far as a lot of the membership are concerned "CTC" stands for "Cycling To Cafés".

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Denzil Dexter | 14 years ago
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I suppose they think it's their job, cos they are the largest membership organisation for cyclists and campaigning has always been a part of their remit. Added to which they have umpty thousand local branches and affilitated clubs and cos they've been doing it for so long, (long, long before Sustrans or Cyclenation, or the LCC came on the scene) and because they have so many members, most of whom aren't cycle tourists, they have extremely good levels of access to government and the like, possibly why the DfT asked for their input.

Sustrans is about inftrastucture, in fact it's a civil engineering charity and its remit is just as much about walking as cycling. I've never heard of Cyclenation, but go to their website and who are they having a conference with… oh, it's the CTC.

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Fixie Fred | 14 years ago
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Surely this is the role of Sustrans or http://www.cyclenation.org.uk who can lobby both nationally and locally with their respective groups in each area. Why are the CTC even envolved ? I thought the T stood for Touring which seems to be the lowest of their priorities at the moment !

So CTC time to get back to basics and stop trying to do everyone else's jobs. Or do the membership have to start implementing change of policy ?

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pickles replied to Fixie Fred | 14 years ago
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CTC have been campaigning on cycling issues since the reign of Queen Victoria. Sustrans and Cyclenation both started in the 1970s.

In the 1890s CTC campaigned for better road surfaces and succeeded in 1888 in having cycles recognised as a vehicle, which allowed them permanent access to the public highway (previously cyclists had been restricted by local by-laws). This right has been jealously guarded ever since. CTC has defended cyclists' access to the road network throughout the 20th century, when various attempts were made to force cyclists off the road onto poor cycle facilities. The latest attempt at this, in 2006, was blocked by concerted effort from 11,000 cyclists, led by CTC.

CTC campaigned against compulsory rear red lighting (but in favour of white front lighting) and compulsory registration for much of the 20s and 30s. At the same time they argued for compulsory insurance for motor vehicles, with an entitlement to compensation for cyclists and pedestrians.

CTC also created the original cycle proficiency test in teh 30s, and then helped set up the new, improved successor more recently.

In the 1960s CTC successfully campaigned to allow cyclists to use bridleways. Prior to that cycles (as carriages) were not allowed to use any off-road paths except by-ways. Allowing bikes to use bridleways vastly expanded the off-road network available.

Perhaps the fact that conditions for cyclists are pretty bad in this country (compared with other parts of Europe) indicates that the CTC haven't done a very good job over the last 130 years, but it is the CTC which has done most of the running on these issues.

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t1mmyb replied to pickles | 14 years ago
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pickles wrote:

In the 1890s CTC campaigned for better road surfaces and succeeded in 1888 in having cycles recognised as a vehicle, which allowed them permanent access to the public highway (previously cyclists had been restricted by local by-laws). This right has been jealously guarded ever since. CTC has defended cyclists' access to the road network throughout the 20th century, when various attempts were made to force cyclists off the road onto poor cycle facilities. The latest attempt at this, in 2006, was blocked by concerted effort from 11,000 cyclists, led by CTC.

But does that fear of losing right to the road mean we'll never get Dutch- or Danish-style *good* cycle facilities?

pickles wrote:

Perhaps the fact that conditions for cyclists are pretty bad in this country (compared with other parts of Europe) indicates that the CTC haven't done a very good job over the last 130 years, but it is the CTC which has done most of the running on these issues.

Is it the CTC's fault though? Lots of forces have conspired to make cars the de facto choice of planners. Politicians in other countries made tough, unpopular at the time decisions 40 years ago and are reaping the benefits now.

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pickles replied to t1mmyb | 14 years ago
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t1mmyb wrote:

But does that fear of losing right to the road mean we'll never get Dutch- or Danish-style *good* cycle facilities?

Maybe. Perhaps if cyclists had been forced to use facilities back in the 30s then decent facilities would have been planned.

But remember that Germany (where the Nazis brought in the first compulsory facility use law in 1934) repealed that legislation in the mid-1990s - in a period of effective policy making which significantly raised cycling levels in that country. Now you do not have to use cycle facilities in Germany if they fall below a certain standard (which many do, in my experience).

Quote:

Is it the CTC's fault though? Lots of forces have conspired to make cars the de facto choice of planners. Politicians in other countries made tough, unpopular at the time decisions 40 years ago and are reaping the benefits now.

Absolutely. Other countries made better decisions whether or not they had campaigning groups pushing them in that direction. Some of those countries (Germany again) have proportional representation, meaning that there were at least a few Green party politicians. In London the two Green AMs have been the most powerful advocates for cycling of any of the political groups. They held the balance of power in the Assembly and passed Livingstone's second term budgets only after negotiation.

Arguably things are in an even worse state in the other English speaking countries - NZ, Australia, the US and Canada all have lower rates of cycling even than here.

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