Ice major cause of cycling accidents...and what can be done about it

Falling on ice is the second highest cause of cyclist admissions to English hospitals.

Gritting cycle paths can reduce the risk of slipping on ice for cyclists

In this blog, Kevin Daniels, Sustrans supporter, discusses the injury risk posed to cyclists by ice on the road surface and presents recommendations for improving safety, drawing on a 2018 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) paper on delivering accident prevention, co-written with Rob Benington, Health Improvement Manager, Bristol City Council. 

Falling on ice is the second highest cause of cyclist admissions to English hospitals. Loss of control on ice causes more serious casualties among cyclists than many other better known contributory factors. 

By analysing hospital admissions data, we can target preventative actions to better inform cyclists about the risk of ice and to improve the prospects of an ice-free ride.

Reducing injuries is a necessary part of work to encourage more active travel.

Cycling injury data

The two largest and most detailed sources of data on traffic-related injuries are:

1. STATS 19 which is a record of personal injury incidents which become known to the police.
2. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) which include records of patients admitted to NHS hospitals.

STATS 19 is the source of most government reports on accident statistics. However, it does not give a complete picture of cycling injuries. According to the Department of Transport, ‘a very low proportion of pedal cyclists injured in non-collision accidents are reported to the police’. It is estimated that only 4% of non-collision incidents are known by the police and recorded in STATS19. 

According to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), cycling non-collision Incidents (NCIs) -incidents in which no other road user was involved- accounted for 10,737 hospital admissions during 2016/2017. This represents 64% of all injury-related admissions of cyclists. No further analysis of the causes of NCIs is provided.

HES data shows that cyclists suffered a greater number of admissions than other road users in England in 2016/17.

The causes of non-collision injuries

In 2009, in partnership with Bristol Cycling City, NHS Bristol designed a UK-wide online survey to help understand the causes of non-collision injuries. More than 1,000 cyclists responded, recording the details of their non-collision incidents, giving a good sample for analysis. Please note the methods used created biases in the response, and the results are most applicable to working-age cyclists.

Nevertheless, the survey showed that 26% of all reported non-collision incidents (including 17% of those that resulted in a hospital admission) happened as a result of slipping on ice.

Slipping on ice was by far the single largest reported cause, followed by slipping on wet roads (8%) and slipping on ‘soil, gravel, mud, wet rock, etc’, (6%).

Around 10,000 visits to Accident and Emergency each year in England are as a result of cyclists slipping on ice.

In the study, the total number of non-collision admissions for 2016/17 were apportioned to individual causes using the results from the survey. This highlights ice as the second highest cause of admissions to English hospitals.

Impact of hospital admissions on encouragement to cycle

Awareness of accidents discourages more people cycling. Hospital admissions are the tip of the iceberg when inactive people consider taking up cycling.

Identifying and acting on the underlying causes of non-collision incidents can directly result in an increase in cycling. Encouraging more cycling in winter months is a relatively low capital cost activity that makes better use of existing infrastructure. 

Mitigating actions to reduce non-collision injuries

So what can be done to reduce the risk of slipping on ice for cyclists? The study makes seven recommendations:

1. Gritting cycle paths

A survey of 11 authorities in the South West of England (2016) established that only two authorities partially treated their cycling network. It is recommended that:

• When new cycle routes are built, effective treatment for ice is taken into account.
• Consideration is given to progressively treating more existing cycle paths/routes on a priority basis.

Roads the council will grit can be searched on gov.uk for England and Wales, and on Traffic Scotland.

2. Weather forecasts

Weather forecast temperatures, that cyclists often rely on to decide if they should cycle, are air temperatures. Whether ice can form is highly dependant on road surface temperatures. The distinction is significant, as road surface temperatures can be 4 or 5 degrees lower than the forecasted air temperatures.

Currently, road surface temperatures are not usually included in weather forecasts. This is one of several improvements in ice forecasting that would be helpful to cyclists.

In 2016 four cycling organisations called upon the MET Office to improve ice forecasting and a meeting was held in November 2016. There appear to have been no substantive improvements in ice forecasting since this meeting.

Daily gritting routes and road surface temperatures for the whole of Scotland are available online. The road surface temperatures appear under the weather station tab.

Over 50 local authorities publish near real-time road surface temperatures on http://www.trafficweather.info/Index/example/Index.action.

3. Employers

Employers are encouraged to adopt flexible working practices so that cyclists can choose to cycle when the risk of ice has passed. The Think Twice campaign gives suggestions.

4. Co-ordinated action

The government, NHS, local authorities, cycling organisations, broadcasters and weather forecasters are encouraged to coordinate campaigns to raise awareness of: 

• Hazards of cycling in freezing conditions.
• How to cycle more often, but safely in the winter.

5. Phone App

Weather forecasters and mapping organisations are encouraged to cooperate to produce a phone app that reliably forecasts ice along a planned cycling journey.

6. Improved analysis of non-collision incidents in HES statistics

The published HES data should include a breakdown of the non-collision admissions along the lines of the 2009 survey.

7. Use of HES statistics

All organisations are encouraged to use Hospital Episode Statistics alongside STATS 19 data when making decisions about priorities for cycling.

Conclusion

The Government Cycling and Walking Investment strategy calls for underlying performance of cycling injury and incident statistics to be understood. The analysis in this blog - which has identified the significance of the risk posed by ice - contributes to this objective. Taking the mitigating actions set out in this blog should help achieve the Government objective of reducing the injury rate among cyclists and increasing the number of cyclists and the frequency with which they ride.

References

• ROSPA: Delivering Accident Prevention Case Study Non-collision cycling injuries: 2nd edition, Joint authors (2018): Benington, R. and Daniels, K.
• Think Twice: Cycling in ice weather commissioned by NHS Bristol

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Adventure: David Reilly's Journey on the Caledonia Way

David Reilly during his adventure on route 78

The route offers some magnificent views

David Reilly celebrates completing the 10-day long Caledonia Way challenge ride

In September 2018, disability sports and travel writer David Reilly cycled 237 miles from Campbeltown to Inverness along National Cycle Network Route 78, The Caledonia Way.

We filmed his 10-day adventure along the route, to help raise awareness of accessibility along National Cycle Network routes in Scotland and to help challenge perceptions about disability participation in cycling. This is the story of his adventure, in David’s own words.

Embracing the challenge

It didn’t matter how steep the hill up to Inverness Castle was, I was just smiling and feeling such elation that I had made it.

Standing on the steps and looking back into the distance, it was hard to believe that I had cycled the 238 miles to get there. Eight days ago we set off from Campbeltown on what was to be my biggest challenge yet, to cycle the length of The Caledonia Way. Supported by Sustrans Scotland, we embarked on a journey that would take us through some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery, up the Great Glen and into Inverness.

Leaving the ferry terminal in Campbeltown felt like quite a moment because so much planning and preparation had gone into the journey. The seeds of doubt in my mind were asking if I could really do this, and would I really make it to Inverness in a weeks’ time. But, before I knew it, we had done 12km, and then 20km became 30km, and we were well underway. I soon settled into the ride and I was enjoying the rolling roads of Kintyre that took us along some forest lined roads as well as open farmland.

Battling Storm Ali in Argyll

The next three days would take us as far as Taynuilt just short of Oban, with overnight stops in Tarbert and Ardrishaig.

Cycling up the Kintyre peninsula was a joy with its mixture of forests and open coastal stretches. The way the light shone across the Kilbrannan Sound to Arran for example, was quite majestic. In this section, I catch sight of an otter on the shore of Loch Caolisport and an eagle high over Inverliever Forest.

The weather during this section was not however in our favour. High winds and rain brought a storm that only added to the challenge and the adventure. Raining or not, I felt so alive and happy to be doing what I loved most, just riding my bike. The only saving grace was that the wind was right on our backs pushing us along and helping us over some of the Argyll hills.

More settled weather arrived when we reached Oban which made for very pleasant riding for the next stage of our journey. Segregated cycle paths along with the autumn colours made this particularly flat stage of the journey very enjoyable indeed. I was surprised how little of the route was on main roads, and how much was on ‘B’ roads or traffic-free cycle lanes. Safe paths made it easier to enjoy the stunning surroundings and backdrop of the mountains. This stage of the route struck me as being one of the most accessible to families or for disability cycling.

From The Caledonia Way, it wasn’t difficult to find smaller routes that would make ideal loops for shorter day trips. This section of the ride was fairly flat so it gave lots of options to less able cyclists.

I particularity enjoyed the final two stages from Fort William to Fort Augustus and onto Inverness. The route took us along the towpath of the Caledonian Canal which, with the autumn colours against the backdrop of the Monadhliath Mountains, was quite spectacular. Skies were often clear and crisp making for some wonderful views.

The most difficult climb of the route was shortly after we left Fort Augustus. The road climbs very steeply up the east side of Loch Ness, and this was quite challenging. We were soon rewarded, however, with spectacular views across the Great Glen and a long descent towards Foyers, then a relatively flat road right into Inverness.

Watch the video of David cycling the Caledonia Way

The experience has changed me

I do feel a tremendous sense of achievement to have cycled The Caledonia Way in its entirety.  If I hadn’t had the offer of support from Sustrans, I wouldn’t have attempted it under my own resources.

I have not always had the confidence to tackle challenges like. The physical logistics of organising a trip like this would have been a struggle, so I feel particularity grateful for this opportunity.

The experience has changed me. So many adventures or outdoor experiences have a huge influence on people’s lives. It has given me so much more confidence in my own ability and given me a thirst to get out, explore, and see what else I can achieve. I was really surprised by my own capabilities.

Accessible routes

Although there may be pieces of the route are still to be developed, I was really encouraged by the thought that had gone into accessible cycling.

Brand new bridges with all ability access such as that at Soldiers Bridge at Inverlochy, are a great example. While I suspect the numbers of disabled people riding the route in its entity will remain low, parts of The Caledonia Way lend itself nicely to inclusive cycling. The stretch around Appin, for instance, is also particularity flat and accessible to less able riders.

There are stretches of the route that follow the towpaths of both the Crinan and Caledonian Canals. These sections provide lovely flat, traffic-free cycling on particularly nice surfaces that would be ideal for less confident riders. I thoroughly enjoyed following the Caledonian Canal. With shelter from the wind and lined with autumn trees, it was really pretty.

Having cycled the length of 'The Caledonia Way’, I don’t think there is any of it that I wouldn’t happily go and ride again. I would particularity like to return to Appin, cycle there and maybe take in the island of Lismore.

Whatever I do in the future I will do with a sense of confidence that this ride, with the support of Sustrans, has given me.

Find out more about the Caledonia Way, and plan your own adventure.

Watch the video of David Reilly riding the Caledonia Way

Our vision for the National Cycle Network: Paths for everyone

• Cycling
• National Cycle Network

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Getting out on two-wheels: How cycling on the National Cycle Network has contributed to my good health

Peter having completed his journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats

Day 26 of Peter’s epic journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats

Peter Langford has always led an active lifestyle and has enjoyed cycling and walking since he was a young boy. Even when diagnosed with arthritis in both knees, Peter didn’t let this hold him back from doing what he loves.

This is because the low-impact exercise helps the knees to maintain a normal range of movement without adding further stress. Cycling hundreds of miles a year to remain fit and healthy, he decided to take on the epic challenge of travelling more than 1,000 miles by bike on his 85th birthday from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

When we spoke to Peter he said:

“A mixture of things motivate me to cycle. I’ve experienced some of the UK’s most breath-taking landscapes by bike and enjoy being out in the fresh air but have to say the health benefits that come with riding a bike is one of my top motivators. I suffer from arthritis in both of my knees which causes me some discomfort and can become stiff if I do too much high-impact exercise.

“My physiotherapist suggested cycling because unlike other activities it doesn’t put too much pressure on your joints and helps to strengthen the muscles which support your knees. That’s not to say it cures arthritis.

“ But for me, cycling is one of the easiest ways to get my heart racing without causing any discomfort and I believe regularly going out on two-wheels has contributed to my good health over the years. ”

- Peter Langford

Up for a challenge 

“I remember the first time I took on Land’s End to John O’Groats – I thought to myself never again! I was underprepared and using an old bike, so found the whole journey incredibly difficult, both physically and mentally.

“This time round, I cycled 2,500 miles in the run up to the challenge, double the length of the actual ride. It’s the third time I’ve completed it and the most prepared I’ve ever been. This is because I was determined to get out on my bike, come rain, shine or gale force winds, cycling up to 100 miles a week.

Travelling on the National Cycle Network

“I travelled on a mixture of terrain this year, including routes on the National Cycle Network. It was lovely cycling down quiet streets, small lanes and disused rail paths instead of busy main roads. The signage was also fantastic on most of the routes and there was plenty of stunning scenery to stop off and admire along the way. Overall, cycling on the Network made the journey feel much safer and I’d recommend anyone considering taking on the challenge to do the same.

“Although the ride was tough, it was really enjoyable. I travelled through a lot of incredibly beautiful countryside. Especially the National Cycle Network route through Scotland, between Loch Lomond and Inverness, which was the most attractive of the three rides I’ve completed.

“For now I don’t think I’ll be taking on any more large-scale biking adventures. There’s no doubt that I’ll be out on my bike in the near future but I think I’ll be sticking to more local paths. National Cycle Network route 1, passing through Beccles and Norwich is particularly useful and just down the road so I imagine I’ll ease back in with that. Getting out there and having fun is the main thing for me.”   

Find out more about cycling from Land’s End to Joh O'Groats

• Cycling
• Health
• Lifestyle

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Why I think it's good for communities to see young people like me volunteering: Louisa's story

Louisa (pictured in red on the right) helps to encourage people in her community to explore the wonderful Comber Greenway right on their doorstep

Louisa takes part in regular task days to help keep the National Cycle Network safe for everyone to enjoy

It’s #IWillWeek – a weeklong celebration of the impact that young people have on the communities and causes that mean the most to them.

So we caught up with Louisa, one of our Duke of Edinburgh volunteers in Northern Ireland, to find out why she loves volunteering with Sustrans and what it is doing for her and the local community.

My name is Louisa and I volunteer with Sustrans on the Comber Greenway once a month with my friend Lydia. We take part in task days to spruce up the route and help out at information stands along the greenway.

I also assist at festivals and events, inspiring people to explore and use the route and encouraging those on bikes to be more mindful on shared-use paths.

Connecting young people to the community

Why did I choose to volunteer with Sustrans? Well, I like being outdoors, and apart from Duke of Edinburgh – which is how I started volunteering – this was one of the only ways I could get outside and do something good for my local area at the same time.

“ I really wanted to get outdoors and do something that would help my community, and volunteering with Sustrans lets me do that ”

- Louisa, Sustrans volunteer

I really wanted to do something that would help my community, and as a young person you don’t really spend a lot of time in your community these days. Especially once you go to secondary school as you’re not in your hometown during the week so you don’t really do much there.

I decided to volunteer with Sustrans because I like the message the charity promotes – choosing more sustainable and active ways to travel when you want to get out and about. It has also really shown me the amazing places I have so close to home, just like the Comber Greenway.

Making a difference in your local area

Volunteering makes me feel refreshed because it usually involves spending time outside in really nice places and talking to local people to encourage them to do something positive. You are also working in a team with a common goal like when I go along to a task day to help maintain part of the National Cycle Network. 

“ Volunteering in my community helps spread the message that the youth care ”

- Louisa, Sustrans volunteer

I also think it’s good for the community to see young people volunteering. When I’m helping out at Sustrans promotional events and I speak to people, it spreads the message that the youth care.

If you are encouraging someone older than you to do something, it might help them to realise it is important and think differently about the possibilities and lead to them actually making a change.

Doing good does you good too

Volunteering out on the greenway and generally being involved in activities with Sustrans has made me more familiar with the route itself and helped give me the confidence to cycle more often.

Sustrans also provided cycle training as part of my volunteering, and this year I’ve cycled the seven miles each way to school and even further into town and work, and whilst on holiday this year – it’s fantastic!

I’d definitely recommend that more people, old and young, volunteer with Sustrans!

Feeling inspired by Louisa? Join her and our 3,500 volunteers making a huge difference to their community across the UK

• National Cycle Network
• Volunteering
• Young people

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Paths for everyone: why it matters

The National Cycle Network supports almost 800 million journeys a year

The Network contributes £2.5 billion every year in leisure and tourism spend to the UK economy

The Network is over 23 years old, providing 16,575 miles of routes

We want to make the Network safer and more accessible for everyone

Think of a memorable walk you’ve had. Picture a cycle ride you enjoyed with your family or friends. I’m guessing that these weren’t on or alongside a busy road. 

We all need places to walk or cycle, scoot or wheel, away from the noise, fumes, stress and danger of traffic. Somewhere where we can teach our children how to ride a bike, somewhere to free our minds on our daily commute, or trip to the shops. Somewhere where we can reconnect with our surroundings, or with our friends and family. Somewhere where movement is at a human pace, and where interactions are between people, not metal boxes. 

This is why Sustrans is setting out an ambition to deliver a national network of traffic-free paths for everyone – a new vision for the National Cycle Network.

As custodians of the National Cycle Network, we have spent the last two years conducting a thorough review. We haven’t done this alone – in fact, we couldn’t. We have worked with the hundreds of local authorities and public and private landowners who provide the routes and maintain them. We have worked with organisations representing the different types of users of the Network, and we’ve worked with our national governments.

And above all, we’ve conducted this review thanks to our volunteers, hundreds of whom have worked tirelessly to plot the condition of every mile of road, lane, path and greenway providing a comprehensive audit of the state of the Network.

After all, the Network is a national asset, supporting almost 800 million journeys a year. A staggering figure.

The first ever review of the Network

The Network is over 23 years old. It grew from a collection of traffic-free greenways, into 16,575 miles of routes, on-road and off-road sections, covering every nation and region. Now, we all know that the Network today is far from perfect. But we now know exactly where, and why.

In 2015 we began a two-year audit of the paths which was carried out by independent surveyors. It was followed by the full review, conducted by a small project team supported by colleagues throughout Sustrans and many stakeholders. 

Every single section of the Network was surveyed and scored against four main criteria: flow (including width and barriers), surface, signage and safety. 

So what has the review told us?

In short, just over half (54%) of the Network was scored as good or very good, and the rest as poor or very poor (1% Very Good, 53% Good, 4% Poor, 42% Very Poor). The main reason for this is that too much of it is on roads with fast vehicles or too much traffic.

A third of the Network is traffic-free, and over 90% of this is good or very good. Of course, where it isn’t, we need to fix it. There are still too many sections that are barely passable on a mountain bike, and conversely, others that are now so popular that they can’t accommodate everyone without widening. So working with our partners, we will be focusing on path width and surface.

But it’s the other two thirds – the on-road sections – which we really need to tackle in order to give everyone the traffic-free network that we need and deserve.

Fixing the Network

This isn’t going to happen overnight. We have set out an ambition to double the traffic-free mileage by 2040, leaving us with one third on road. And that one third will need to be sufficiently safe and quiet for a 12-year-old to cycle on it on their own, to walk along it with small children on scooters, or to wheel along in a wheelchair or mobility scooter. In urban areas or on larger roads that means 20mph speed limits or protected cycle lanes, and adequate pavements. Along quieter rural roads, that means reducing the speed limit to 40mph.

These changes will help make the Network safer and more accessible for everyone. But that still leaves over 16,000 other issues – this is the number of barriers across the Network that can prevent all types of users from getting onto the paths.

We are going to be working with our partners to redesign or remove these so that traffic-free paths are open to everyone, whether you’re pushing a double buggy, using an adapted tricycle or towing children behind a bicycle.

This isn’t simple.

Barriers are often there to prevent off-road unauthorised access by motorbikes and similar. But we know from our experience of opening up York’s popular Foss Islands cycle and walking path (Route 658)  to people with mobility scooters, cycle trailers and larger non-motorised bikes by relaxing barriers at all entrance points along the route, that it is possible to improve accessibility whilst ensuring the paths are used appropriately. 

As with all of these changes, this is not something that Sustrans can do alone. Building on the foundations of this review, we are going to be working with our partners over the coming years to fix these issues and grow the amount of traffic-free miles, creating network development plans for the whole network.

A network which is loved by the communities it serves

This isn’t just about fixing it – important though this is. We also want to help everyone love it.

Across the UK we have over 3,500 fantastic volunteers who contributed 250,000 hours in 2017/18, and numerous independent ‘Friends of’ groups who look after and help promote, and develop their paths. This is a UK-wide Network and its aggregate contribution to the UK is huge: £2.5 billion every year in leisure and tourism spend alone.

The Network’s impact is also felt at a local level. Yes, from money spent in shops, and from reduced congestion on local roads as people choose to walk or cycle instead, but also the way it serves to connect people to places and, more importantly, to each other. So we will be working with community groups and organisations across the country to make even stronger connections. An early example of this is a partnership with Good Gym where their community runners will help pick up litter, cut back overgrowing vegetation and generally love the Network.

Untapped potential

Of course, all of this is going to cost money. We are fortunate to have over 30,000 supporters who give generously to Sustrans and help us look after the Network.

Local authorities are increasingly cash-strapped, but many find ways to not only maintain but also develop their parts of the Network. To deliver this ambitious vision we will be seeking to recruit more supporters, and we will also be working to raise and assemble funding from a broad range of sources.

In Scotland, the government is investing £6.9m in improving the National Cycle Network, over the summer the Department for Transport granted £1m for improvements in England, and we are working with Highways England to improve the National Cycle Network where it intersects with their Strategic Road Network.

But more is needed to transform the Network for everyone. We simply can’t afford not to do this.

At a time of increasing division, this Network spans our nations and connects our towns and cities. As we face up to an air quality and climate crisis, the National Cycle Network makes it easier for everyone to choose not to travel by car, hence reducing carbon emissions. And as we find ourselves with not only an obesity epidemic but a growing mental health one too, traffic-free routes are what we all need to get out there, and get along, each at our own pace and in harmony with each other.

Download ‘Paths for everyone’

• National Cycle Network

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Edinburgh City Centre Transformation: A chance for a world-leading city for people

Edinburgh Council’s 2050 vision is a fairer, thriving, connected and inspired city

Children on way home from school on newly-widened Leith Walk footpath

Edinburgh is unique, delighting those who live and work in the city and drawing visitors from around the world. But continued recent progress to increase walking and cycling, and make Edinburgh a place that better prioritises people over vehicles, has led us to a point where it is time to accelerate.

Sustrans Scotland strongly endorses an ambitious, transformational approach to Edinburgh city centre. The success of existing walking and cycling projects have proven the benefits and effectiveness of active travel to the city.

And public appetite is strong. For example, Sustrans’ social attitudes survey Bike Life found that 80% of Edinburgh residents wanted more space for protected cycling, even if that meant taking space away from vehicles.

It is the right time for Edinburgh to undertake transformational change to the city to ensure it remains both a liveable city making continuous improvement to quality of life for residents and a city that is globally attractive to visitors.

Our role and partnership with City of Edinburgh Council

Sustrans Scotland is a proud partner of City of Edinburgh Council in the delivery of numerous initiatives to support and increase active travel and deliver improved public space.

We support the City Centre Transformation itself through funding, as well as helping to deliver infrastructure through Community Links, Community Links PLUS and behavioural change programmes at workplaces and schools. These programmes are funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Sustrans Scotland.

Have your say

This consultation sets the tone for the future direction of Edinburgh. Sustrans Scotland wants Edinburgh to be the best it can be for people, and that means we need as many people and views as possible to be represented in the consultation.

I urge everyone to have their say on what will make the city work better. The consultation closes on Monday, 12 November 2018, so make sure that your voice is heard.

Read our response to the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation consultation

Submit your views on the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (closes Monday 12 November 2018)

• Cycling in cities
• Policy

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Driving car dependency

In edge of town housing developments car travel is the only real option, as everyday destinations like work, shops and schools are too far to walk or cycle

Using our valuable road space to help more people walk, cycle or use public transport is the most efficient way to keep our cities and towns moving.

In this longer look at the Budget, Tim Burns explores whether the Treasury is laying the foundations for rapid urban sprawl across England.

Last week’s Autumn Budget promised to invest £30 billion on the English road network over the next five years. Most of this cash will be spent on widening and building new ‘strategic’ roads across England.

This might sound like a welcome helping hand for English regions, but in reality Whitehall risks locking more and more people into a car-dependent future for generations to come. Recent research from Transport for New Homes is a fresh reminder that edge of town housing developments where car travel is the only real option is still increasing [1]. The Treasury’s £30billion payday for new roads will only encourage more of the same, leading to longer journeys, and more house building on greenfield sites.

When it comes to reducing the economic cost of the NHS, or meeting the aims of the recently revised National Planning Policy Framework, the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, the Climate Change Act and our plans to improve air quality, the UK Government appears to be shooting itself in the foot.

Funding for ‘strategic’ and local roads

The UK Government recently announced the end of austerity and promised greater spending and investment. Logically that all starts this week with announcements made in the 2018 Autumn Budget.

These promises included the confirmation that Vehicle Exercise Duty (VED) will be hypothecated to create a National Roads Fund of almost £30 billion for the English road network. VED was an environmental duty designed to incentivise the use of more environmentally friendly vehicles. It will now, perversely, be mainly spent on building new and improving existing roads, encouraging ever-increasing journeys by car.

Of even greater concern, the vast majority of the National Roads Fund (over £25 billion) will be spent on the Strategic Road Network, essentially motorways and major trunk roads, through the second Roads Investment Strategy 2 (RIS). RIS2 from 2020 until 2025, is likely to represent a 40% increase on the £17.6bn spent on RIS1.

The Roads Investment Strategy, however, ignores the vast majority of roads and journeys in England. Roads covered by this investment make up just 3% of all roads in England and approximately 34% of vehicle miles [2]. The other 97%, Local Roads, include almost all major and minor roads in our cities and towns. Whilst some funding is available for local roads, for example, £420m for pothole funding this year, levels of spending are vastly underfunded in comparison.

Investing in strategic roads will drive car dependency

We know from history the more we build and widen roads the more people will drive. Last week’s budget announcement is effectively using public funding to subsidise living further and further away from work, schools and other local destinations.

It will help to unlock new housing developments on greenfield sites at the fringe of urban areas or in the countryside, rather than building within cities and towns. This creates urban sprawl and communities where public transport is not viable and where everyday destinations like work, shops and schools are too far to walk or cycle. We are creating communities where all trips are entirely dependent upon the car, often even if they have walking and cycling infrastructure. In the context of climate change, pollution, and a multitude of public health issues, we should be doing exactly the opposite.

This is entirely at odds with the recently revised National Planning Policy Framework which aims to ensure we build the right homes built in the right places and at the same time as protecting our environment. Instead, investing in strategic roads will serve to only increase what appears to be already happening in practice – the construction of many new housing developments built around the car with residents unable to travel unless they use a car.

Urban transport networks are underfunded and need to adopt a less car focussed approach

Most jobs, services and people live in cities and towns. Therefore most additional journeys that will be created from investment in strategic roads will start and/or end on local roads, especially those in urban areas. These roads have not been designed or funded adequately to support this.

Furthermore, a lack of available space rarely allows for wider roads in urban areas. This extra load will only contribute to more congestion, pollution, and increased financial costs for urban authorities. More cars and more dispersed living makes the business case to make public transport economically viable for these journeys almost impossible and distances too far to walk or cycle.

For these reasons, cities across the UK are currently debating how to reduce journeys by car, for example through Clean Air Zones, Workplace Parking Levies, improving public transport, and creating dedicated space and networks for walking and cycling. The percentage of people commuting by car would need to reduce from 53% today to around 43% in 2036 [3], for example in Bristol, just to maintain congestion at the current level, with expected population growth.

This means most cities are trying to move in the exact opposite direction to the UK Government based on signals given in this week’s budget announcement.

Is this what people want?

The imbalance between investment in local, sustainable transport within cities and towns and funding for inter-city transport, based around the car, is vast and growing in the UK. Encouraging people to travel further and for longer appears a strange policy objective considering what people want?

Most people, given the option, would opt for a shorter commute – who wouldn’t want more time with their family and the chance to see their children before they go to bed each evening? Who wouldn’t want better access to local shops, and public services within easy reach of their doorstep?

Why are we subsidising road building to build homes further and further away from where people want to get to, when we could be subsidising homes in urban areas where sustainable transport choices already exist? What could £25 billion could do to help make housing more affordable in urban areas whilst supporting more sustainable and efficient options to get around?

We need to invest in local sustainable transport to enable more efficient movement of people and goods

Transport funding should be highest where journeys are greatest - local roads in urban areas. And evidence demonstrates using our valuable road space to help more people walk, cycle or use public transport is the most efficient way to keep our cities and towns moving.

Despite this evidence, most local authorities are struggling even to repair roads, and national spending is making this challenge harder.

If the UK Government is serious about the environment, our health, building homes in the right places, air pollution, and improving the lives of its constituents then it must invest funding from the National Roads Fund on local roads and prioritise sustainable transport, including walking and cycling.

We urge the UK Government to rethink its approach to VED and roads funding and to start taking walking and cycling seriously by committing to 5% of the transport budget to be spent on active travel, rising to 10% by 2025.

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[1] Transport for new homes. 2018. Transport for New Homes Report.

[2] DfT, 2018. Road Traffic Estimates: Great Britain 2017

[3] Bristol City Council, 2018. Draft Transport Strategy.

• Air Quality
• Cycling in cities
• Policy
• Walking

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Changing the law on pavement parking in Scotland promotes equality for all

We should do everything we can to encourage more journeys to be made on foot

How many times have you walked down a street, only to have to squeeze your way past a collection of cars parked half-on, half-off the pavement? 

Pavement parking, where motor vehicles are left on the pavement, has become such a regular feature of many Scottish streets that for many, it is just another urban annoyance, like litter. However, for others, it is an issue which seriously impacts on their ability to get to places, their physical and mental wellbeing and in some cases, can even put their lives in danger.

What’s the problem?

When people park their cars and vans on pavements, it blocks the way for others, especially those with visual or mobility impairments, people pushing pushchairs or those who need wheelchairs to get around.  

This can lead to people having to alter their journeys completely – either because they are unable to get past or because they cannot detour onto the road (especially the case if a pavement lacks a low or dropped curb). For others it means having to move into roads, in order to get around the vehicles, forcing them to compete with moving traffic. This issue can be compounded further by the parked vehicle blocking the view of drivers and pedestrians, adding to the peril of an already dangerous situation.

My neighbourhood in Edinburgh is not immune to this issue of pavement parking. My narrow Victorian street means that car owners, myself included, mount their cars on kerbs to ensure the road is still accessible for other, particularly emergency, vehicles. This bothers me. Whilst we all know that this will mean less pavement space for users, any changes that need to happen to streets like mine across the country, have to be coordinated through law – rather than one car at a time.

This is why the new Transport Bill, which is currently making its way through Scottish Parliament, is so important. By creating legislation on pavement parking, the government is able to set out clear guidance and support as to how this issue can be addressed. 

The move will also help to level the playing field – by ensuring that road space in Scotland is equitable for all users – it will guarantee safer, easier and more comfortable journeys around our towns and cities for everyone. 

Creating a solution which works for everyone

Car ownership in Scotland is higher than ever before, yet access to a car is remaining the same, in other words, more people own more cars than ever before. A quarter of people resident in Scotland don’t own or have access to a car. The way that many of our streets and neighbourhoods have been designed does not take this into account. 

New legislation would make life fairer for the quarter of Scots who do not have access to a car, but who still find their journey made more difficult by pavement parking. It would help to ensure that people with impaired mobility, wheelchair or mobility cart users can safely and independently and more comfortably get about.

The Transport Bill proposes a compromise where necessary so not to unfairly impact cars. But some, understandably, question where they should park their car if they can’t do so on the pavement.

The answer is that some streets will need physical changes for the Bill to be effective, and some streets will have to be exempted. However, London banned pavement parking in 1974 and residents and visitors there have successfully adapted to the change.

Making places that make people want to walk

Banning parking on the pavement should not be seen as targeting or penalising car owners, but as making life easier for people on footways.

We should do everything we can to encourage more journeys to be made on foot. Walking is free and good for your health and the environment. It leads to local economic benefits and can help to develop a sense of community. Neighbourhoods, where people are happy and confident to walk about and spend time in, are successful and invariably popular. 

But, with this in mind, Government and civic leaders should not stop at banning pavement parking. It should also ensure that footways are clear of clutter like signage, telecoms cabinets and even electric vehicle charging points, which are increasingly being thoughtlessly installed on pavements.

We have drifted to a status quo where space on footways is being taken away from people and we need legislation to stop this.

A ban on pavement parking is a very simple and effective piece of legislation that will make our streets safer for everyone and our communities more welcoming for people.

Find out more about Parking and the Transport (Scotland) Bill

Ask your MSP to support a ban on pavement parking

• Campaign for Safer Streets
• Communities
• Health
• Liveable cities
• Policy
• Walking

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