How will each UK Political Party affect cycling?
Posted on in Cycles News , Political News
Ahead of the December 2019 General Election, the ACT have provided a brief summary of each major political party's policies that could affect cycling.
With some of the biggest barriers that people face when it comes to cycling to work being road safety and infrastructure, positive active travel policies are likely to make a huge impact in the number of cycling commuters.
The Green Party
The Green Party place a lot of emphasis on improving public transport, even stating that they will "create a new golden age of train". However, they have also said that they will allocate £2.5 billion a year to creating new cycleways and footpaths, built using sustainable materials, such as woodchips and sawdust.
They also plan on reducing danger for cyclists by making Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (in which rat-running is blocked) the norm for residential areas and making 20 miles per hour the default speed limit. All new housing should have high quality walking and cycling routes and much improved public transport bus, avoiding residents being forced into car use.
The Green Party also plan on opening up car-free access to the National Parks with new cycling, walking and bus links.
The Labour Party
The labour manifesto states that they will "increase the funding available for cycling and walking.", although do not specify the amount of funding that they plan on putting allocating to this.
It then goes on to say "We will bring together transport and land-use planning to create towns and cities in which walking and cycling are the best choice: safe, accessible, healthy, efficient, economical and pollution free. We will help children's health and well-being by ensuring street designs provide freedom for physically active outdoor play and by introducing measures to ensure the zones around our schools are safer, with cleaner air."
The Liberal Democrat Party
The Liberal Democrats plan on "placing a far higher priority on encouraging walking and cycling - the healthiest forms of transport." as well as "Accelerating the transition to ultra-low-emission transport - cars, buses and trains - through taxation, subsidy and regulation."
They plan to encourage cycling though a nationwide strategy that includes the creation of dedicated safe cycling lanes, increasing spending per head five-fold to reach 10 per cent of the transport budget.
The Conservative Party
The Conservative manifesto states that they plan on supporting safe cycling to work by creating a new £350 million
Cycling Infrastructure Fund that will have mandatory design standards for new routes.
They also plan on extending cycling proficiency training to every child, as well as working with the NHS to promote cycling for healthier living.
The Brexit Party
The Brexit Party's "Contract with the People" plans to improve transport by investing at least £50bn in local road and rail schemes in development-starved regions. No specific plans for encouraging cycling and walking are mentioned.