A blizzard of bumf, hopefully some of it useful.

[whole diary]

[CyclingSid]

This morning the PMs thoughts on cycling are published:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-kickstarts-2bn-cycling-and-walking-revolution

Bike repair coupons, helping people to get fit, get an e-bike;

We’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity

if they haven't left it too late already.

And a selection of supporting documents:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf
 

Of course you can't deliver a fridge-freezer on a cargo bike

, sorry Boris people have.

We will create more “Mini-Hollands”

a bit of a copy of London, but who cares. I wonder which areas will be the twelve selected.

We will create at least one zero-emission city

, if it was cathedral cities I think St Davides is possibly the smallest!

We will improve the National Cycle Network

hopefully more positive than Sustrans announcement last week that they were chopping significant parts.

Routes should be designed only by those who have experienced the road on a cycle.

my only quibble would be shall instead of should.

And for this audience

We will make sure the railways work better with cyclists

A long overdue update of the LTN^▸ (Low Traffic Neighbourhood) on cycle infrastructure design https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904088/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-1-20.pdf. 200 odd pages, had a scan through and it looks reasonable. White paint on the road is now a "non-preferred" option. Will look forward to expert comment from The Ranty Highwayman.

And finally a consultation of

Review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders

could wind up a lot of motorists and various media pundits.

A lot to take in, but hope some of it is more than just talk. There is, of course, no compulsion on LAs.

[Red Squirrel]

Lots of good stuff here. To expand on a couple of bits:

We will make sure the railways work better with cyclists

Cycles and trains should be ideal partners, complementing each other and extending the range of both. Cycling can make public transport journeys door-to-door, matching the convenience of the car. We will invest substantial sums on safe cycle routes to stations, particularly in commuter towns such as Guildford, and increase cycle storage at stations, including at city-centre termini, where it is currently limited.

Bringing a bike on board makes a train journey even more convenient. But even as cycling has grown in popularity, the railways have reduced space for bikes on trains. We will reverse that, increasing space on existing trains wherever practically possible, including on popular leisure routes and will make it easier to reserve bike spaces online and without reservations on emptier trains. We will require that all future rolling stock includes more bike spaces relevant to the markets served. We will continue to restrict bikes on peak-hour commuter trains, where the space is needed for passengers.

We will carry bikes on more bus routes

Buses and cycles can also work together, allowing journeys which are otherwise only possible by car. Far more people live near a bus stop than a rail station. In many rural areas, where demand is lower, we will work with bus operators to allow a limited number of bikes on board, in addition to onboard wheelchair space, on appropriate routes, as a few country routes already do. A handful of urban routes also allow bikes, using external racks.

We will investigate extending this provision further.

Interesting times!

Edit: This caught my eye later on:

Cycle infrastructure should be designed for significant numbers of cyclists, and for non-standard cycles. Our aim is that thousands of cyclists a day will use many of these schemes.

We also want to see increasing numbers of cargo bikes to replace some van journeys. Cycle routes must be accessible to recumbents, trikes, handcycles, and other cycles used by disabled cyclists. Many current tracks and lanes are too narrow or constrained to meet these objectives. To allow faster cyclists to overtake, and make room for nonstandard bikes, cycle tracks should ideally be 2 metres wide in each direction, or 3 to 4m (depending on cycle flows) for bidirectional tracks though there may have to be exceptions.

This is a contrast to typical narrow cycle lanes in the 'Grayling Zone', where cyclists risk being struck by car doors...

[CyclingSid]

I liked We will make sure the railways work better with cyclists
... the railways have reduced space for bikes on trains.
... increasing space on existing trains wherever practically possible,
We will require that all future rolling stock includes more bike spaces relevant to the markets served.

Now I wonder who spec'd the new Inter City trains.

[CyclingSid]

Well some bits of it have taken off; 'Fix your bike' website crashes as scheme launches in England
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53576008

[CyclingSid]

Some knowledgeable comments from The Ranty Highwayman
https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2020/08/fossil-fuel-addicts-shock-jocks.html#comment-form

[CyclingSid]

And for those who want to dig deeper, there is an Active Travel model for TAG (the modelling system for travel schemes).

See bottom of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tag-social-and-distributional-impacts-worksheets