"Get Britain Cycling" – Call for Evidence and Early Day Motion

The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) is calling for evidence for an inquiry entitled: “Get Britain Cycling”. The inquiry will examine the barriers which are preventing more people from cycling in the UK. Cycling makes up 2% of all journeys, compared to 27% in the Netherlands and 18% in Denmark. Some European towns have more than 50% of all journeys made by bike.

The parliamentary cycling group will be taking written evidence from stakeholders on issues including road safety, training, enforcement, planning and design, theft and highway maintenance. There will be six evidence sessions starting in mid January and a panel of MPs and Peers will take verbal evidence from a selected group of witnesses. A report with recommendations will be written by Professor Phil Goodwin and will be published in mid-April.

They are looking for written submissions which will answer the question “How can we get Britain cycling?”. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 5th December 2012.

Love Your Bike will be submitting a response so if you would like to be involved in writing the response or would like to suggest ideas to be included please email  gmloveyourbike@gmail.com

Early Day Motion (EDM 679). 

The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group co-chair, Julian Huppert MP, has tabled an Early Day Motion asking MPs to support the inquiry.  The text of the EDM is shown below:

“That this House notes that cycling benefits public health, the economy, the environment and quality of life; further notes the strength of public and parliamentary support for The Times newspaper’s Cities fit for Cycling campaign, and its backing for an inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group on Getting Britain Cycling; further notes calls from national cycling organisations for a cycling action plan to increase cycling among people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, and to reduce the actual and perceived risks of cycling, whether for day-to-day travel, outdoor recreation or sport; and calls on the Government to provide leadership, resources and Cabinet-level co-ordination across Government departments and external partners to produce and implement such a plan as part of our Olympic legacy, including measures to strengthen road traffic law and its enforcement, improve cycling conditions and perceptions of safety, integrate cycling with public transport, promote cycling through schools, colleges, workplaces, community organisations and beyond, and embed cycling into the heart of transport, planning and other relevant policies.”

You can find out who your Member of Parliament is via the Write to Them website and you can check if your MP has already signed the EDM on the Hansard website.  It would be really good if we can convince all the Greater Manchester MPs to support this EDM.

So please get typing and emailing…… and do let us know which MP you contact.

Thank you for making time to do this….