Dutch cycling experts are to share their knowledge of encouraging people to get onto their bikes and boosting safety with Manchester’s City Council and transport bosses.
A group of experts from The Netherlands, along with leading academics from across the UK, will come to Manchester Town Hall on Tuesday 20 November to discuss innovative ways of increasing the number of people who take up cycling.
Holland is one of the world’s most bike-friendly countries, with up to 59 per cent of all trips in its cities made by cycle and 1.3 bikes for every one person in Amsterdam. This week’s conference will explore ways in which Dutch ideas about cycling could be adopted in Manchester.
It will feature practical sessions including a workshop in which a British road junction will be redesigned according to Dutch principles.
The conference includes Wim Bot from the Dutch Cyclists Union, Wim van der Wijk from Royal Haskoning, as well as John Whitelegg, Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University and Philip Darnton, President of Cycle Nation.
City Centre councillor Kevin Peel said:
“We really welcome this news. We often get complaints from cyclists in the city that our cycling system is not up to scratch and we know that the city council have been working hard to address flaws. This is really encouraging as part of Labour’s plans to improve the experience of cycling in Manchester.”
Cllr Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said:
“We would like to make cycling part of the Manchester way of life, just as it is part of the way of life in the Netherlands, and being able to talk directly to these people will give us a valuable insight into how we can make the city safer for the growing number of cyclists.
“We have received funding from the Department of Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund to improve access to the city centre, including plans to provide more cycle lanes and safe crossing points across the inner ring road, and having this kind of input from experts will be invaluable when we plan exactly how to do that. “
November 24th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Come on Manchester Council, stop wasting millions of pounds on cycle sport and start getting serious about realocating road space to cycling. The city is being choked by cars, day in, day out. It is time Manchester City Council & TfGM stopped subsidising car and bus travell and put its money into truely sustainable transport.
November 24th, 2012 at 10:59 pm
If only the councillors would force the traffic engineers to cycle to work. The current provision is clearly designed by people who don’t cycle and have almost no idea what a bicycle looks like. For example thousands of pounds have been wasted making green parking spaces along Parrs Wood Road, with bicycle symbols simply there to give the motorists practice aiming.
The move to look at Dutch provision is good, just copy, don’t try to be inventive. And for God’s sake do Dutch parking provision at the same time.
November 26th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
This is all great…
But…
Let’s be honest and acknowledge that little has been done in terms of cycling as a mode of transport in Manchester and GM, favouring instead cycling as a sport and a leisure activity. The Go Dutch conference was truly inspiring and we (grassroots cycling campaigners) hope that you and fellow Cllrs, policy makers, planners and transport engineers have been enlightened.
Do engage with already established cycling groups (and individuals too) in GM (as well as national) that have been advocating for Dutch style infrastructure for a fair while. To name a few:
Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign
http://cyclemanchester.org.uk/main/
Love Your Bike
http://manchesterfoe.org.uk/campaigns/transport/bike/
Cycling Embassy of Great Britain
http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk
MCR Cycle Chic
http://mcrcyclechic.blogspot.co.uk
As well as many blogs of everyday GM cyclists, who put up with the appalling road conditions every.single.day, yet enjoying riding their bike and hoping that things will indeed change soon, for the better.