19 December 2017
Lancashire County Councillor Gina Dowding was defeated in her attempt to get a portion of the highways budget ring-fenced for improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure at the December meeting of the Full Council.
Gina said afterwards:
"I am really disappointed that neither Labour nor Conservatives would support a commitment to spending on cycling and walking infrastructure.'
The motion below was amended by Labour so that the funding issue was removed. It was then passed unanimously.
Gina added
"I hope that the rest of the commitments will be taken seriously and implemented. This is not the first time I have got agreement for cycling improvements only to find that the council carries on with 'business as usual' - which in reality means prioiritising the ease of motor vehicles to get from A to B."
Before amendment to remove point 5. the motion was as follows
The Lancashire Cycling and Walking Strategy will be published early next year. Council recognises that every day journeys are from home to school, home to work, home to the station, or home to shops or community facilities. Council will therefore ensure that the Cycling and Walking Strategy will address the key issues for increasing cycling and walking as normal travel modes for local trips:
(i) That cycling and walking trips will be safe, direct, convenient and comfortable and will be seen to be safe and convenient by those who might change from other modes to cycling or walking or who might let their children cycle or walk to school.
(ii) That the County's major infrastructure asset for cycling and walking, i.e. the road network, is safe and convenient for cyclists and pedestrians and will:-
- Reduce danger to cyclists from vehicles on our busy roads.
- Prioritise cyclists and pedestrians trying to cross busy roads and junctions.
- Enable cyclists to take direct routes instead of being forced onto circuitous routes that have been optimised for motor traffic.
- Prevent the obstruction of footways with parked cars, overgrown hedges and trees, and poorly maintained surfaces and drains.
- Help children to walk and cycle to school safely and conveniently to reduce the 'school run' and prepare them for Active Travel in later life.
(iii) That Council Officers are provided with the funding and training necessary to pursue these objectives.
(iv) That Local Cycling and Walking groups' views will be taken on-board to help validate the strategy and the highway schemes that affect it.
(v) That Council will commit to ring fencing 10% of all highways transport infrastructure spend to improving cycling and walking infrastructure.
Council notes that the additional aim of the Cycling and Walking Strategy of promoting Centres of Excellence will not, however good Centres of Excellence may be for leisure, begin to address replacing car trips by active travel for every day journeys. In fact they increase car trips as people drive to the centres of excellence.
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