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Government cycle lane micro-management is "supreme bollocks" according to Reading transport bossReading Town Hall (CC licensed image by Tom Bastin:Flickr)

Government cycle lane micro-management is "supreme bollocks" according to Reading transport boss

Tony Page says government wants councils to explain their consultation method
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Nov 21, 2020 16:32
7

Reading Council’s transport boss has criticised the government for 'micro-managing' the roll-out of new cycling infrastructure, branding its approach, “supreme bollocks.”

The government announced a £250m emergency active travel fund for the creation of pop-up bike lanes and other measures back in May. The money has been issued in two phases with the second, larger allocation made last week.

The first phase was for temporary schemes, which could later become permanent, and involved no consultation.

New guidance released alongside the second batch of funding emphasises the need for public consultation before constructing schemes.

The deputy leader of Reading Council, Tony Page, welcomed the change, but also said that not only does the Department for Transport (DfT) want councils to consult residents, it also wants them to inform central government how it plans to do so first.

“We have never done this before,” Page told Get Reading. “First time around, they told us not to bother. Rather than saying we should consult in advance this time around, they want to see how we intend on doing it.

“This is a level of micro-managing which is farcical. It is supreme bollocks. They cannot micro-manage 700-800 schemes across the country.”

Reading announces pop-up cycle lanes after two cyclists are killed in one day

Reading received £221,250 in the first round of funding, followed by the £1,179,000 it had requested for its “core” projects in the second round of funding.

The council had also requested £2,830,000 for additional schemes, which has not been granted.

It will now reconsider the five schemes proposed as it has been five months since its bid was submitted and there is a feeling that priorities may have changed.

Commenting on the prospect of delivering the projects, Page said: “It is welcome news that the £1.18m is still available to the council but it would appear that the guidance contains a gamut of obstacles and caveats that have to be surmounted.”

Reading
Tony Page
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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6 comments

Avatar
eburtthebike | 4 years ago
4 likes

Maybe if Reading council could be trusted to design any useful cycling infrastructure, the government wouldn't have to micro-manage their incompetence.  Just how incompetent do you have to be for this government to be more competent than you?

Avatar
Miller | 4 years ago
7 likes

RBC is absolutely f*cking petrified of doing anything that would take any road space from vehicle traffic. Clr Tony Page is well versed in bullshit as that's his entire career right there.

I have very little time for the current governmental regime but it has amused me to see them withholding active travel funding from councils that can't bring themselves to promote active travel.

Avatar
chineseJohn | 4 years ago
10 likes

Reading Council have a very long history of doing very little for cyclists. 

But... they have long history of getting funding for cycling/sustainable transport and somehow manage to spend the money elsewhere, very little to show for it.

A few projects stand out from Local Sustainable Transport Fund:
- cleaning of Queen Victoria's statue (https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/13402812.squares-new-look/)
- fixing a wall, owned by the church but somehow maintained by the council (https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/st-laurence-churchyard-wall...) 
- upgrading all the electronic signs, informing drivers where which car park was full, occasionally useful messages like look out for bicycles etc

They did fund a bike hire scheme but because of Reading woeful cycling infrastructure not many people used it. Sadly closed down a few years ago.

Avatar
Awavey | 4 years ago
6 likes

a quick fact check on Reading councils own website for phase 1 and phase 2 schemes and you can quickly debunk the "supreme b******s" that councils were told not to consult on phase 1, or that phase 2 included some completely unknown new consultation hurdle.

 

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
3 likes

Some councils might be ok on their own, but the DfT's Active Travel Unit will certainly help others. North Yorkshire County Council have never ever built a decent bike lane, and without DfT involvement anything they did would be rubbish.

So far under the Emergency Active Travel Fund they have built precisely nothing. They have got funding in Tranche 2 and we wait to see if they are capable of spending it on actual physical cycle infrastructure before the End of Time.

Avatar
Bungle_52 replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 4 years ago
9 likes

I'd be happy to oblige but I'll have to charge £21m if you want me to be a "go between" for Geoffrey and Zippy.

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