§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make a statement on the scope for extending the facilities for, and encouraging the use of, bicycles in urban areas in Britain as a means of reducing the CO, emissions from passenger cars.
§ Baroness HaymanThe Government recognise the benefits cycling has to offer as a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport. A quarter of all car journeys are under two miles and 60 per cent. are under five miles, so there clearly is potential for increasing cycle use. We have given our early endorsement to the National Cycling Strategy, which aims to double cycle use by 2002 and quadruple it by 2012. The strategy has a common ownership, having70WA been established by consensus involving a wide range of interested bodies. A National Cycling Forum, comprising representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors, has been established to co-ordinate the delivery of the strategy.
The Government's aim is that, wherever possible, additional cycling trips should be generated at the expense of private car use. This places a focus on utility journeys, particularly those in urban areas. Here, distances travelled for journeys to work, school and shops tend to be low, offering prospects for converting a good number of trips to cycling. We expect to see a steady improvement in conditions for cycling, particularly on urban roads, through the publication of information on good practice and through dialogue with providers.