tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4031352915519488668.post3370714868671238008..comments2023-10-31T08:49:14.757+00:00Comments on Cambridge Cyclist: So what WOULD convince people we need cycle facilities?Cab Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09019615820672574343noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4031352915519488668.post-86941578742347126712017-04-11T13:39:17.435+01:002017-04-11T13:39:17.435+01:00Fascinating, thank you. Much to think about - I...Fascinating, thank you. Much to think about - I'll look forward to the longer piece you describe.<br /><br />I think that much of what you're saying is right - but we know that 'right' isn't the same as 'winning' here. So yes, we can talk about obesity, congestion, pollution, choice etc. all we like - does that not simply mean we're even more 'right' while still not necessarily winning? Are we not then still seen the same way, i.e. arguing for what we want rather than for what is a better overall resolution? Does this lift us out of being viewed as a special interest group and into advocates for a 'greater good'? I dunno. Cab Davidsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09019615820672574343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4031352915519488668.post-30955525756498917662017-04-10T17:14:52.652+01:002017-04-10T17:14:52.652+01:00I've begun arguing around the concept of choic...I've begun arguing around the concept of choice. That people have had the 'choice' not to use the car taken away and that the moment that you 'need' your car you have to realise this is due to the way all other choices have been designed out, either through lack of good cycle and walking provision on our roads, the creation of isolated 'unsafe' paths away from main roads, or poor hub centred time consuming public transport networks that do not enable you to travel conveniently from home to work. <br /><br />I've also being using hard data retrieved from Census 2011 WU03UK table combined with the 2011 School data to show the immense number of local journeys being made that should be made differently. Currently 7000 people living in Bath commute to work in Bath (two journeys a day), 5000 kids are dropped off by their parents by car (four journeys a day), totalling 34,000 unnnecessary car journeys in a city that can be walked end to end in 1 hour. Then put it into local context. In Bath's case, that's almost two days of London Road car traffic. TWO days.<br /><br />More importantly when you ask the council what the modal split is, they report 2%, whereas for Bath it is 4.3% and if you look at the 'local' modal-split (residents of Bath commuting in Bath) the number is 7%. <br /><br />Then you can bring in the modal split around schools, and see that only 1% of school kids are cycling to school. <br /><br />Then bring in obesity levels and cost to NHS with the UK at 35% obesity (up from 27%) by 2030 and the Netherlands at 8.5% (DOWN from 10%). <br /><br />Bring in child travel independence.<br /><br />Every person on a bike is one less person in front of you in a car and that this is critical to tackling congestion during rush hour.<br /><br />More importantly bring in the fact that many retired people have the luxury of driving after rush hour. That their objections to cycle lanes are very much against solving congestion as congestion never effects them. They have a choice to head out after 9am. They do not see a need for getting 1000s of people, including school children using healthy active modes of transport. They are being inherently selfish.<br /><br />Some of the work on Census 2011 data is available here. https://cyclebath.org.uk/2017/04/07/in-support-of-the-bath-cable-car/ <br /><br />I am working on a longer transport piece once I've got all the data I need into something other people can use. Adam Reynoldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03750136956364085417noreply@blogger.com