More must be done to get cars off our roads

IT was disappointing but unsurprising to learn that traffic congestion in the city surged with the school run (“Return to school sparks rush on to roads”, Mercury, March 10).

What was most sobering, though, was that our congestion level increases were much greater than far bigger cities like Birmingham or Manchester. What’s going on?

Most car journeys in the city are two miles or less, so easily made by healthy travel, and council investment and mayoral leadership has meant we have far better – but still patchy – cycle and walking routes.

However, as Pete Pollard commented in his letter about council tax (“What will the extra £9 a month be spent on?”, Mailbox, March 10), cycle routes are still not as busy as they could be, and evidence suggests they won’t be until it’s genuinely easier to use your cycle than car.

This is not rocket science, but means, for example, providing convenient and safe cycle storage at schools, homes and work places.

It’s ridiculous that people can park their cars in their front gardens or on the street, a step away from their home, school or office, but not have bike storage in front gardens or on streets – where’s the council planning guidance to help people do this?

Why is cycle storage non-existent or tucked away out of sight and often inconvenient to get to? It would cost little, and be far more useful than press releases about cycle routes and warm words.

For example, pre-pandemic, I cycled to a meeting at City Hall, and was told cycle storage was available a few minutes walk away, “around the side”, and I’d then have to walk back to the front desk.

For a disabled person, this was impossible and unhelpful, especially since I could have parked my car directly outside the entrance.

So I tethered my bike to a bin, which is hardly encouraging or welcoming.

Happily, once this was brought to his attention, Adam Clarke sorted this out with a new bike rack at the front of the building, but without green and disabled voices in the room, the same mistakes will continue to be made.

There has to be a genuine mindset shift in the mayoral team and council, so that health, planning, transport, disabled people and politicians all work together to implement the joined-up models of transport and growth we need to improve access, reduce air pollution and congestion, and keep our kids safe.

Maybe it’s time to have some Green voices in the council to help them think big and think green, but in the meantime, please contact your councillors and schools and ask for proper cycle and walking measures, and support the workplace levy, which could fund safe cycle routes to every school in the city.

Mags Lewis, Green Party, Leicester