Thread by @CHAIRRDRF

So it's a special FIVE MONTHS since lockdown special for my "Active Travel in the time of #Covid19UK " update on the weekly (Tuesday at 5pm) Zoom edition of #ideaswithbeers.

As you know, schools (and some businesses as well) starting up soon is going to show just how little
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has been done to support walking and cycling (and deter drivers) in the UK.
Where good things HAVE been done (and I have highlighted some of them over the past months on #ideaswithbeers and the RDRF site since April, starting with this piece rdrf.org.uk/2020/04/11/tra… ) these
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measures will be under threat.

It's important to remember that these attacks will be in defence of excessive driver privilege.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying there are no problems with even well designed infrastructure. What I'm saying is that where there are issues
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such as motor traffic displacement by LTN implementation, these should be tackled by other measures AS WELL. They may be law enforcement, driver charging, car parking restrictions and/or extensions of the LTN.

The point is that we need less motor traffic for a variety of
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reasons ( reduction in greenhouse gas and noxious emissions, danger, noise and visual intrusion, ill health of it's users, community severance and more). The need for distanced walking and cycling is just part of this.

We therefore need a well informed body of transport

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professionals and campaigners who are well armed with evidence and the ability to patiently explain the facts. (Not that this tends to make that much of a difference).

What SHOULD have happened - along with real support directly to actual and potential cyclists and more
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push for "on the ground" measures - is clear explanation from Government about the need for reduced car use: which wouldn't sit easily with the £27bn roads programme.

But Government really needs to follow the advice in The Times editorial July29th to stay the course. This
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includes challenging the ideas such as these reported uncritically in, er, The Times by all of us.

So do join in: e-mail @bricycle on [e-mail] - 5pm sharp Tuesday on Zoom.

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