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The Bicycle Association, on behalf of the cycle industry, is backing a nationwide extension, by the CTC and Cyclenation, of #space4cycling, a political lobbying campaign originally created by the London Cycling Campaign. Through the industry’s Bike Hub voluntary levy scheme, CTC and Cyclenation will receive a grant of £30,000, in order to take the LCC’s work to cycling groups in major towns and cities across the UK.
CTC and Cyclenation will draw on the information, experience – and the promotional materials – developed by the LCC.
"This new campaign will enable cycling groups across the UK to mount a united initiative to get local councillors’ support for a range of measures – from 20 mph limits in urban areas to traffic calming and improvements to safety at junctions – in the run up to the general election,” said Phillip Darnton, executive director of the Bicycle Association.
The key objective of the national #space4cycling will be to ensure that the major political parties include firm commitments to cycling in both their national manifesto and in their local constituency plans.
Darnton added: “Space for Cycling is designed to make cycling an everyday activity, accessible to all men and women, young and mature alike. CTC and Cyclenation will work with local groups to manage the advice and support of their individual campaigns under this unified national banner.
He stressed that: “Cycling is still not receiving the leadership, funding and long-term commitment from government that is essential for its transformation into a safe, attractive everyday and universal means of travel for short urban trips.
Andre Curtis, chair of campaign group umbrella body Cyclenation, said:
“We very much welcome the contribution made by the cycle industry to support local campaigning. This will be a very welcome boost, helping many local campaign groups be more effective in creating cycle friendly communities.”
Roger Geffen, CTC’s campaigns and policy director, said:
“The national Space for Cycling campaign aims to ensure that anyone, of any age or ability, can cycle safely, comfortably and enjoyably for any local journey. This will help create healthy and liveable streets and communities which provide a better quality of life for all. We will be seeking commitments from national and local politicians to ensure consistent high-standards of cycle-friendly design, and the funding needed to implement this.”
He added: “We will be asking campaign supporters to first contact their local councillors, and later MPs, to sign up to consistently high standards of cycle-friendly planning and design, and the funding needed to implement these. We will be adapting the LCC’s campaign to the very different political circumstances which exist outside London. For one thing, local elections elsewhere mostly involve only a third of the councillors, if any, standing for election in any given year. For another thing, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson has already promised significant funding for cycling’. Outside London, if we are to achieve ‘Space for Cycling’, we need to campaign for more funding for cycling too.”
The Bicycle Association, via the Bike Hub levy fund, recently backed the Go-Ride youth cycling programme from British Cycling and late last year also supported London Cycling Campaign’s London-based #space4cycling campaign.
