Government cycling and walking announcements – July 2020
Cycling and walking plan main points:
- £2 billion direct investment in cycling and walking across England.
- “Thousands of miles of protected cycle routes in towns and cities”
- Far higher national mandatory standards for cycle scheme design
- Clear priority given to reallocation of roadspace from cars to cycles
- An e-bike “programme” to help purchasing more expensive electric bikes
- A pilot program to help GPs prescribe cycling to help reduce obesity including providing bikes
- One small-medium city to get a pilot zero emissions centre
- Rollout of cycle training availability for all adults and children
- More cycle parking including at train stations and secure hangars on residential streets
- Potential roll-out of ‘Direct Vision’ lorry standards
- More powers for councils to enforce road rules and recoup fines from motoring offences
- More control of the strategic road network for the “metro mayors” outside London
Cycle Infrastructure Design summary principles include:
- Cycle infrastructure should be accessible to everyone from 8 to 80 and beyond
- Cyclists must be physically separated and protected from high volume motor traffic
- Cycle infrastructure should be designed for significant numbers of cyclists, and for non-standard cycles,
- Consideration of the opportunities to improve provision for cycling will be an expectation of any future local highway schemes funded by Government
- All designers of cycle schemes must experience the roads as a cyclist
Highway Code Review main proposals:
- introducing a hierarchy of road users which ensures that those road users who can do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others – for example, a lorry driver would have a greater responsibility to those driving a car or motorcycle, and people cycling would have a greater responsibility than pedestrians.
- clarifying existing rules on pedestrian priority on pavements, to advise that drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road
- providing guidance on cyclist priority at junctions to advise drivers to give priority to cyclists at junctions when travelling straight ahead
- establishing guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking cyclists and horse riders.