Safer streets for cyclists is aim in £6.5m cash bid
NEWCASTLE GIVEN GREEN LIGHT TO GO FOR FUNDING SHARE-OUT
Reporter A POT of cash will be offered to Newcastle to make the city safer for cyclists and encourage more people to get on their bike.
Eight councils across England will be able to bid for a share of £6.5m the Government has made available for cycling schemes.
The news has been welcomed by keen cyclist Matt Smith, who spent Christmas in hospital after being knocked off his bike on City Road in Newcastle.
The 29-year-old had to spend two weeks at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and has undergone two operations after part of his right leg was shattered.
Now recuperating at his Heaton home, he has only just started to walk again with the aid of crutches.
Despite his injuries, civil engineer Matt is keen to get back on the saddle.
He said: “Safety is always a concern but the benefits of cycling significantly outweigh the risks.
“The benefits are huge to see in countries that have managed to get it right like Denmark and the Netherlands.
“It takes a huge amount of investment and it takes a lot of political will.
“But it’s going in the right direction and at the moment we’re facing huge problems with obesity; if more people were cycling, we would definitely reduce that.”
The funding is part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) cycling review, with Bristol, Leeds, Cambridge, Birmingham, Norwich, Manchester and Oxford also invited to bid for the money.
Another £500,000 will be used to support the Big Bike Revival project run by the charity Cycling UK to provide training and encouragement to get more people cycling.
The review was prompted by the death of mother-of-two Kim Briggs who was knocked over and killed by a bicycle courier in 2016.
Charlie Alliston, then 18, was travelling at 18mph on a fixed-wheel track bike with no front brakes when he hit the 44-year-old in east London, causing fatal injuries.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of causing bodily harm by “wanton and furious driving”.
The review is considering whether a new offence equivalent to causing death by careless or dangerous driving should be introduced for cyclists, as well as improving their road safety.
Matt believes one simple solution to help keep cyclists safe would be to expand existing cycle lanes.
He said: “The big problem is cycle lanes that don’t go anywhere, they just don’t join up.
“Ninety per cent of a route is safe and then 10% is extremely dangerous. For me, that would be the best investment for money.”
After the funding announcement, cycling minister Jesse Norman said: “Everyone should be able to take advantage of the huge health and environmental benefits of cycling.
“While Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, we want to encourage more people to take up cycling.
“This funding, as part of our overall cycling and walking strategy, will help local councils to make their roads safer for everyone.”
The DfT says £1.2 billion is available as part of the strategy over a fiveyear period to 2021 to boost cycling and walking.
It aims to double cycling activity by 2025, reduce the rate of cyclists killed or seriously injured and reverse the decline in walking.
Cycling UK chief executive Paul Tuohy described investment in cycling as “incredible value for money”.
He said it costs as little as £24 to train a person to cycle compared with the £77 per person being spent by the NHS on treating illnesses directly attributable to obesity.