§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will set out the key components of cycling strategies; and what plans he has to monitor their implementation; [3199]
(2) if he will make a statement regarding local authorities which have failed to produce a cycling strategy. [3198]
§ Mr. SpellarOur guidance to local authorities on full local transport plans (LTPs), published in March 2000, set out both the minimum requirements of a cycling strategy and the characteristics expected in a good LTP as follows:
Minimum requirements
A discrete strategy for encouraging cycling, which establishes a clear target that contributes to the national targets for increasing cycle useEvidence that cyclists have been given a high priorityEvidence that encouraging cycling is part of all transport policies, including road safety strategiesEvidence of interaction with local planning authority to ensure that land use and development planning allows and encourages people to cycleEvidence that there has been a review of the road network, to establish where improvements to assist cyclists are neededAssessment of the quality of existing cycle networks, to identify where improvements ire necessaryProgramme of measures to improve safety of cyclists and reduce conflicts with other traffic, including pedestriansCharacteristic of a Good LTP
Adopts a formal order in which planners consider the needs of different user types, placing cyclists near the topPartnerships for action with health, education, commercial and voluntary bodiesPlans for improvement of physical provision to be based on methodical application of cycle review guidelines (published by IHT)Cycle audit all road and traffic schemesAims to improve interchanges, and increase opportunities for combined cycle and public transport journeysEncourages cycling through Travelwise, Green Commuter Plans, Local Agenda 21 and School Transport PlansMinimises conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.Progress on the outcomes and targets established in LTPs, including those in the cycling strategies, will be monitored through a system of annual progress reports (APRs). Guidance to authorities on the production of APRs was published in March 2001. Copies were placed in the Library of the House. Authorities are required to submit their first APR by 31 August 2001.In notifying authorities of their capital allocations for 2001–02 in December 2000, our decision letters provided detailed feedback on the degree to which the LTPs had fulfilled the criteria for each element of the plan, including those set out for cycling strategies. We also identified, where appropriate, any specific areas in which authorities needed to improve their LTP. Our guidance on APRs makes clear that the annual reports should summarise actions taken to address these identified areas and to provide evidence of Improvement.
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