4.9.1
Original Document
Cycling has an important role to play in providing for future movement demands generated by city centre growth. Yet present conditions for cycling are often hostile, due to vehicle dominated streets and a shortage of cycling facilities or direct routes to and from key destinations. A concerted effort is required to improve conditions for cyclists through changing the behaviour of vehicles, removing major physical barriers and the provision of improved ‘end to end’ cycling facilities.
Plain English Translation
Cycling is going to become more important as there are more journeys around the city centre. At the moment though Birmingham city centre can be hostile to cyclists. We need to put real effort into changing this.
Birmingham has the WORST cycling rate in Europe (I think this was on Pushbikes website but I cannot locate it at the moment to confirm). For the last 40 years the car has been treated as King in Birmingham at the expense of all other methods of transport. I know many people who would like to cycle in Birmingham but are too scared of traffic (not that it is often moving fast enough to cause any harm, apart from breathing difficulties, asthma in our kids, road rage etc). Birmingham should look at what has been achieved in Copenhagen where, by gradually reducing facilities for cars each year and improving cycling facilities they now have a third of all journeys made by bicycle.
Cycle parking in the city centre is very limited despite a huge increase in city living. New Street station has less cycle stands than Coventry, Solihull, Stourbridge and Dorridge! – http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/travelwise/c... . All new developments should be made to include bicycle storage and all businesses and shops encouraged to install cycle stands (or simple wall hoops would suffice) where possible.
The Big City Plan should be about improving quality of life, facilitating a big increase in cycling would help achieve this.