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UK at a crossroads to choose cycling and active travel for the future, says Chris Boardman

“For the first time we genuinely have a real choice, we could change our transport culture, the way we use our streets," says champion turned campaigner...

Chris Boardman says that the UK is “at a crossroads” with an opportunity to bring about “real change” in the way people get around in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. His comments come as British Cycling relaunches its #ChooseCycling campaign, which the former world and Olympic champion, a policy advisor to the organisation, himself helped launch back in 2014.

> Boardman: I'd swap Olympic gold for more ordinary Britons cycling

 

Boardman, who is also cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester, told Eurosport: “I've had a few sleepless nights, to be honest. This might sound melodramatic, but we are at a crossroads and we could go either way, and I don't know which way it is.

“For the first time we genuinely have a real choice, we could change our transport culture, the way we use our streets.”

He said that in the UK and further afield, the aftermath of the pandemic provides a huge opportunity for governments around the world to embrace active travel instead of the previous supremacy of the private car.

“You've turned off car use globally and now you have to choose whether you want to turn it back on again or do something different,” he explained.

Highlighting the example of Greater Manchester, he said: “We have 200 million car journeys in our city region of less than 1km which is an embarrassing stat, but also very exciting as it shows how easy actually it will be to change.

“Cycling initially went up 22 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels. That rose to 47 per cent and it's reached as high as 70 per cent.

“And these are not what you would call ‘cyclists’ with the Lycra and road bikes and stuff, it's normal people, in normal clothes doing normal things.

“We have got 1950s levels of traffic and it's made it a nice environment. What we need to do is give people that safe space. The measures the government have brought in have been done for pragmatic reasons, not ethical or ecological ones.

“A third of people don't have access to a car. If you're saying don't use public transport, but don't provide safe cycling, you've penalised the poorest in the community.

“I like that it's emergency measures. The government is saying we have got to do this, but if after six months you don't like it, we'll take the cones away and go back to normal.

“But I believe that once people try it, they will want to keep it. Hopefully we'll get permanence in the end.

“This is a moment we'll never have in our lifetime,” he added. “We can choose to keep it or wipe it all away. What we do next will affect our futures forever.”

The relaunch of the #ChooseCycling campaign, which was backed by a number of major businesses, comes in the wake of huge growth in cycling in recent weeks due to lockdown restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, with pop-up protected cycling infrastructure starting to appear in cities across the UK as people are encouraged to avoid public transport and get around by active means.

In England, the government has made £250 million available to local authorities for emergency walking and cycling infrastructure, part of £2 billion allocated for active travel over the next five years, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this month heralding a “new golden age for cycling.”

Citing research from its Cycle Nation Report, produced in partnership with sponsor HSBC UK, British Cycling said that 28 per cent of adults in the UK – more than 14 million people – currently cycle less than once a month, but would like to do so more regularly.

As part of the relaunched campaign, Boardman will host live webinars for local and regional governments, and British Cycling says it has also activated more than 10,000 volunteers who can help new cyclists gain confidence in riding.

> 14 million people ready to get on their bikes says British Cycling

British Cycling Chief Executive, Julie Harrington, echoing Boardman’s thoughts, said: “Our country is undoubtedly at a crossroads, and we now face a stark choice between the old routine of cars, congestion and pollution or a new future of healthy streets, happy people and cleaner air.

“All of our research shows that people want to cycle more, and we now urge local authorities to seize the moment and make the most of the support offered by Government.  

“Enabling more people to choose cycling is vital if we want to ease pressure on public transport and help those for whom getting around by bike is not an option. "

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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18 comments

Avatar
RicePudding | 4 years ago
1 like

Unfortunately, as a few others have cited, the past normal is coming back to the present normal already.

In the last week I think that roads have been even more busy than pre-Covid times. I was really enjoying the empty roads in both running and cycling.

Unltimately, we are a nation of lazy s**ts and most of the population will pick the convenient and easy option over the healthy and sustainable. The amount of times I have heard people say "cycling is too hard" just summarises that.

Avatar
rayjay | 4 years ago
0 likes

The photo used in this article is a joke . You try riding to work in London through the rush hour . If the roads in London become  just for bikes it will be carnage. 
Cycle People seem to have this idea that everybody wants to ride a bike . 
I live in London I take the tube or the bus . It's the safest and quickest way to get around for the majority of people. I like London and the hustle and bustle I do not want it turned in to some sanitised Cleasned distopia.   New York City was cleaned up and it lost so much of its vibrant atmosphere. London skyline now looks like a concrete and glass mess .  No creativity  no feeling of community let's just build glass and concrete flats everywhere  and they are . Nobody builds real buildings anymore it all looks like some dystopian city from  the future.  So sad. 

Avatar
HarrogateSpa replied to rayjay | 4 years ago
9 likes

This is a site for Cycle People.

There's been a little thing in the news that you seem to have missed, perfectly understandable. The result is that the tube and the bus are not the safest way to get around. Just saying.

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eburtthebike replied to rayjay | 4 years ago
1 like

rayjay wrote:

The photo used in this article is a joke . You try riding to work in London through the rush hour . If the roads in London become  just for bikes it will be carnage. 
Cycle People seem to have this idea that everybody wants to ride a bike . 
I live in London I take the tube or the bus . It's the safest and quickest way to get around for the majority of people. I like London and the hustle and bustle I do not want it turned in to some sanitised Cleasned distopia.   New York City was cleaned up and it lost so much of its vibrant atmosphere. London skyline now looks like a concrete and glass mess .  No creativity  no feeling of community let's just build glass and concrete flats everywhere  and they are . Nobody builds real buildings anymore it all looks like some dystopian city from  the future.  So sad. 

Well, well, the quality of the trolls on this site is really dropping.

rayjay, if you've got anything cogent, coherent and logical to say, we'd all love to hear it; until then, crawl back under your rock.

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Hirsute replied to rayjay | 4 years ago
4 likes

I diagnose 'lockdown fever'.

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Rome73 replied to rayjay | 4 years ago
5 likes

Are you for real? (You spell dystopia two different ways so you are probably a troll) 

London would be a million times less 'dystopian' and feel much more of a 'community' if car dominance was removed. Have you actually been to parts of London that are pedestrianised or where there is segregated cycle infrastructure? Have you noticed the people, the quiet, the bars and cafes (in 'normal' times) the children, the abscence of 'dystopia' and the presence of 'community'. 

 

Avatar
TheBillder replied to rayjay | 4 years ago
3 likes

NYC has lost so much that was truly vibrant. The gunshots and muggings are sadly much reduced. Perhaps try San Salvador or Johannesburg for a bit of piquancy if everywhere else is just too bland?

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
4 likes

I'm not enjoying all the negative comments here - the more so because they might be accurate.

I'm determined to stay positive. In Harrogate, we've made quite a few suggestions which have so far been ignored by North Yorkshire - surely one of the least enlightened councils in the country.

Funnily enough, since our Congestion Survey, when 77% said they wanted better walking & cycling routes, NYCC is committed to active travel measures (in theory only so far, not in practice).

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Awavey | 4 years ago
1 like

I dont know how others have been finding it the last week, as lockdown restrictions slowly ease up, but Im not experiencing a great cultural change in the average motorists behaviour around cyclists, or the councillors truly "get what it means" that leads me to believe anything is going to be remotely different in this brave new future we build. Sure they might put some extra paint on the road, shut a low traffic road to motorists and claim theyve delivered change, when they havent at all.

For me its really about the attitude thats more important than how much money they get to waste, demonstrate to me their attitude has now changed, that they appreciate and understand cycling as a means of transport, that we have lots of mini Chris Boardmans around the country leading the charge on it.

 

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Rome73 replied to Awavey | 4 years ago
1 like

I agree with you unfortunately. It's back to usual. A few councils in London have / are making some improvements but they would anyway - it's in their transport plan. 

Otherwise the motor vehicle is back. In a few months the quiet roads will all be a memory. 

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Rik Mayals unde... | 4 years ago
5 likes

it isn't going to work. Jesus, look at the roads this week with the easing of restrictions. Look at the now daily return of near miss of the day. That says it all.

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Shades replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 4 years ago
1 like

biker phil wrote:

it isn't going to work. Jesus, look at the roads this week with the easing of restrictions. Look at the now daily return of near miss of the day. That says it all.

Yep.  On 'back to work Wednesday' it was impatient cars right up your backside and peaceful lanes turned back into rat runs.  Looking at the drivers they were '100 miles' from switching from a car to a bicycle.

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mdavidford | 4 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

British Cycling says it has also activated more than 10,000 volunteers

Where were they storing all these deactivated volunteers before?

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to mdavidford | 4 years ago
1 like

mdavidford wrote:

Quote:

British Cycling says it has also activated more than 10,000 volunteers

Where were they storing all these deactivated volunteers before?

Obvious; behind the bike sheds.

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Sniffer replied to eburtthebike | 4 years ago
1 like

I remember BTBS (and his other usernames).  What about the other 9,999?

Avatar
Sniffer replied to eburtthebike | 4 years ago
0 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

mdavidford wrote:

Quote:

British Cycling says it has also activated more than 10,000 volunteers

Where were they storing all these deactivated volunteers before?

Obvious; behind the bike sheds.

I remember BTBS (and other usernames).  What about the other 9,999?

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
5 likes

I predict that the Great British driving public will demonstrate Great British Common Sense and opt for Great British congestion, pollution and frustration.

I think they miss sitting in traffic.  Less time to stare at their phones.

Avatar
eburtthebike | 4 years ago
6 likes

CB is, as usual, right.  The only problem being the government, who think that £2bn over five years is going to usher in the famed golden age of cycling; it won't.  If they started with £400m in the first year, then doubled it for the second, and again in the third, and kept on spending £1.6bn/year for the foreseeable future, it might just work, but what they propose will make very little difference.  Any sensible government would scrap HS2 and spend the £110bn saved on the NHS and active travel.

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