England shamed by the Dutch, the Welsh and the Scots

Here’s a few mind-boggling facts and figures to titillate our senses. First off we know how the extensive Dutch cycling networks put England to shame. But now, both Wales and Scotland are also putting England to shame by providing decent funding to make their roads safer for cycling. 

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak had no extra money for cycling in his recent Budget. So no surprise there, as the humble bike –“This machine fights climate change”– is ignored AGAIN. 

In a mo I’ll move on to impressive Dutch cycling stats, gleaned from Cycling UK’s latest report from Policy Director Roger Geffen. 

                                            Classic image of Holland, bikes, canals and windmills.

He has provided his usual thoroughly comprehensive update of the government’s continuing failure to adequately fund its own cycling and walking strategy. Except that they, the government,  think they are funding cycling more than adequately. That’s the view from Planet Tory, where the sun shines out of …. “

The Chancellor's failure to back active travel leaves DfT’s admirable cycling and walking team with the unenviable task of creating a second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), with insufficient ring-fenced funding to meet their targets,” writes Geffen. However, he adds that by no means is this a hopeless task.” 

Yes, Geffen, amazingly, remains upbeat despite his growing frustration. Me? I’m convinced nothing will ever get done on the scale needed unless the Dutch can secure a franchise to take over the Treasury. And talking of the Dutch, Geffen clearly envies this small country across the North Sea, the indisputable leaders in cycle planning. He provides the following facts, which illustrate just how far behind England is. 

The Dutch, he says, have a 35,000km network of protected cycle lanes. That amounts to about a quarter of the length of the Dutch road network. If England had the equivalent we would have some 76,000km of protected cycle lanes. He’s worked out, based on DfT figures, that this will cost about £36bn between now and 2040. “By comparison, our government has promised £2bn of funding which they claim will provide ‘hundreds of miles of protected cycle lanes. 

Cycle parking in Amsterdam.

 If England is ever to have a decent cycling network it will require tens of thousands of kilometres and a lot more cash. Nevertheless, Geffen says it is worth remembering how much funding has increased. The £2bn is six times greater than the figures for 2017, for instance, and a huge 80 times more than the £5million provided by Labour in 2005, when a national cycling budget was first set.

Which is all very well. But remains pitifully small. I like to think of that initial £5m as a few peanuts which 15 years later amounts to only a few more bags of peanuts. 

Geffen remains positive, even though he calls England's planning policies  "lousy".

However, he insists on saying: “In short: we've made a lot of progress - and investment in cycling and walking in England is at last moving towards the right ballpark, creating opportunities that local councils now need to seize. But we also still have long, long way to go!” 

Indeed, a long way to go. And just a few £billions short! Especially as the Welsh and Scots are now leaving England behind as well. The Welsh Government is investing £75m this year in cycling and walking, equating to £23.66 per person annually. “It has excellent planning policies and has set a target to increase the proportion of trips made by cycling, walking and public transport, from 32% in 2019 to 45% in 2040,” says Geffen. 

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government is investing £155m this year (equating to £21 per person annually). It has promised to raise this to £320m in 2024/5. They aim to reduce car travel by 20 per cent by 2030. In contrast, the £2bn allocated for cycling and walking in England amounts to £8.42 per person annually. 

“England has lousy planning policies and no target to reduce either the amount of mileage or the proportion of trips made by car.” This rather puts the DfT’s plans into perspective and begs the question how on earth do they think they will have “A world class cycling and walking network for England by 2040". 

Well – and here is the cynical view – I really don’t think the Tory party believe their own bullshit for one minute. What they do believe is that statements like these seep into the public consciousness to create the impression the job’s done. 

Finally, over to the serious matter of climate change which cycling can help address, given a chance. Cue for the Chancellor to do something! 

Sadly, the Chancellor’s Spending Review made no mention of bikes or the climate crisis and how the government might fund measures to combat this. It bitterly disappointed sustainable transport campaigners and other environmental groups on the eve of COP (Conference of the Parties) in Glasgow which got underway last weekend. 

This is attended by the countries that signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that came into force in 1994 and who have been ducking the issue ever since.

As for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he flew off to join other world leaders for the G20 Group meeting in Italy at the weekend,  to tell them all: “If we don’t act know it will be too late”. He’s at his best/worst at moments like this, full of the talk, the soundbites, aware that this gives the impression we’re on top of the situation. When we’re not. It was tantamount to saying “Do as I say not as I do”.

For that same week his chancellor was criticised for continuing with the freeze on fuel duty - for the ninth year -  and he also cut levies on shorter, domestic flights which threatens to take people away from trains, which are far less polluting.

And did you hear Johnson rubbishing recycling last week, in answer to school children’s questions about things to do to avert climate change? 

Johnson said recycling was a red herring, not worth bothering about! When I think of the years of effort by Friends of the Earth to promote recycling - oh, it must be three decades ago in the days before it became good practice - for the PM or anyone to utter such a misleading statement beggars belief. 

Well, Mr Johnson, you know well enough that new products are created from recycled material, saving  depleting raw materials and also ensuring a lot of stuff doesn’t go into landfill! Perhaps Mr Johnson could be recycled?