The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT) has welcomed an announcement by the Government that it is funding large scale plans to promote cycling in cities and national parks, adding that efforts should be made to do the same for trucks and buses.
The Government says it will be ‘cycleproofing’ new road projects, and cutting red tape which can stifle cycle-friendly road design. Councils are expected to deliver infrastructure which takes cycling into account from the design stage.
CILT urges that where possible new road plans should also ‘busproof’ and ‘truckproof’ its routes, to ensure all road users’ needs are considered in both urban and rural chemes. It argued a holistic approach to road design, taking into account the needs of cyclists, freight and passenger transport operators, would help to drive the UK’s financial recovery and increase safety. CILT said this unified approach would mirror the ‘well-received’ plans for London’s road network launched in the recent Mayor’s Roads Task Force.
CILT’s CEO Steve Agg said: “Our generation inherits an urban road network largely designed for horse drawn vehicles, or at best slow post-war era cars. This is a chance to invest in new roads on which cyclists, and modern passenger and freight vehicles can co-exist safely.
“Successful projects elsewhere in Europe point the way for a more cohesive network, as friendly to the cyclist as it is accessible to the buses and trucks.”
