Cycling (Hansard, 18 May 1992)

§ Mr. David Nicholson
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has of the change in the amount of use of cycles as a normal means of transport to work, shopping, and so on; and what contacts his Department has with organisations representing(a) the manufacturers and retailers and (b) the users of cycles.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
Recent analysis of the 1988–89 national travel survey reveals that the number of cycles used has doubled since the mid-1970s to about 15 million. Somewhere between 4 per cent. and 5 per cent. of the population use bicycles as transport to work.
Officials of the Department have continuous contacts with organisations representing cycling interests. These comprise formal meetings, correspondence and telephone conversations.

§ Mr. David Nicholson
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department has taken since 1987 to encourage the use of cycles as an environmentally friendly means of transport, including encouraging local authorities to provide dedicated routes for cyclists; and what studies his Department has carried out of the practice in other European Community countries with a view to(a) encouraging the use of bicycles and (b) ensuring the rights of pedestrians are respected.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
Over the last five years we have carried through the cycle routes programme of research commenced in 1983. This was undertaken to measure the effects of continuous cycle routes in urban areas, particularly on cycle safety and levels of use. The aim was to acces the value and practicality of such schemes for general application. Preliminary results were reported at the international Velo City conference in Milan in 1991, and a final report is due to be published later this year.
We take careful note of devoloping practice in other EC countries, in addition to the continuing programme of research which we have undertaken in the United Kingdom. Our extensive series of traffic advisory leaflets and local transport notes on cycling encourage local authorities to provide facilities for cyclists, including the establishment of cycle routes. We also stress the importance of taking full account of the rights of pedestrians when introducing features to help cyclists.