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

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.

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.

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.