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Bristol Cycling Campaign Manifesto's success sparks council debate

Petition breaches 3,500 signatures and will be presented to council in Spring, while Road Safety Summit discusses speed limit changes and lightless cyclists

A successful petition run by the Bristol Cycling Campaign (BCC) has triggered a council debate over the potential introduction of a Dutch-style network of bike lanes in the city. Meanwhile, the council’s current plans to improve the safety of the city's roads were discussed at the Bristol Road Safety Summit on December 11.

The proposal for the extensive Bristol Cycling Network was originally brought forward by the BCC in October as part of their five point Bristol Cycling Manifesto, which at the time of writing had 3,759 signatures. The manifesto suggests a number of changes other than the cycling network, including the election of a Cycling Commissioner and a target to quadruple the number of people cycling in the city by 2025.

The council had originally planned to put the cycling network proposal forward for public consultation in the New Year. However, following the success of the petition, which exceeded the council’s policy threshold for debate of 3,500 signatures, the manifesto will be put forward for discussion at a meeting of the full council some time in March.

Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson has already shown support for cyclists through his backing of a rush hour lorry ban, and welcomed the petition through his Twitter account, saying: "Thanks Bristol Cycling Campaign. Look forward to receiving [the petition]."

It was at the Road Safety Summit that the mayor dropped his biggest hint that the BCC’s manifesto has his support.

“We’re investing nearly £13 million in road safety in the next three years,” the Mayor said to those gathered at City Hall. “I hope that in other ways it’s actually more than that. I hope that we’ll get more cycle lanes and cycle routes than the ones that are currently planned.”

Strategist for the Bristol Cycling Campaign, Eric Booth, spoke to the Bristol Post of his delight at the success of the petition.

"We are delighted with the response and we are looking forward to taking it to the council. But first we are hoping to gain the backing of other groups who also see the benefits of cycling for the city. Those groups are businesses, health bodies, schools and education authorities which understand the full benefits."

Booth went on to suggest that the success of the petition has indicated a positive sway in public cycling support over the last 10 years. 

"Proportionally, for a city of Bristol's size, this campaign is one of the best supported petitions nationwide,” Booth said. “Support for cycling and the benefits it brings is so widely supported in Bristol now, only an extreme few won't support it."

The BCC’s manifesto still has to be signed off by the city's Lord Mayor, Faruk Choudhury, before it can be brought before the full council and have any impact on any of the policies which were discussed at the Road Safety Summit, according to a Bristol City Council spokesperson.

The next likely available date for a discussion will be March 18, 2014.

However, the Road Safety Summit on December 11 was an opportunity for Bristol City Council to air their current plans for road infrastructure in the city before the manifesto discussion in the Spring.

In his opening speech, Mr Ferguson opening speech highlighted the overwhelming numbers of cars on the roads, and the changes to speed limits that he has planned.

“I make absolutely no excuses at all for having a strategy to reduce the domination of motor-vehicle traffic and to encourage greater use of safer modes of travel, and healthier modes of travel,” the Mayor said.

“As you know we’ll have a city-wide, with the exception of some of the key routes, 20mph limit by 2016. That will massively reduce the level of damage and death to people across the city."

Building on the changes to speed limits in the centre of the city, further efforts to slow drivers are being taken through work with the dormant city speed cameras.

“The cycle ambition fund is investing £8 million into east-west and north-south routes, and I’m pleased to announce that the work to turn the speed cameras back on will commence in the new year,” Ferguson said. He continued to denounce the dissenters who oppose the move.

“I’m told that this is an unpopular move. If it’s unpopular then it’s unpopular with the people that it’s aimed at.”

The mayor went on to talk about the misuse of barriers on the city’s streets, and the impact they have on driver awareness and the illusion of safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

“While we don’t need barriers as much as we have them, i do think that there is a case for greatly increasing the number of dedicated paths for pedestrians and cyclists,” Mr Ferguson said, adding that there is a need to develop “a much greater and better understood set of rules between pedestrians and cyclists and mutual respect. In every case, the faster, more dangerous form of transport should take a particular responsibility.”

Yet, despite his clear support for cycling in the city, the mayor was critical of those who don’t obey the basic rules of the road.

“It doesn’t help to create a feeling that cyclists are to blame for everything. But, it is stupid and irresponsible not to obey the basic laws and rules,” Ferguson said.

“It’s stupid to cycle at night without lights, there are a huge number of people who do it. It’s a matter as much about self preservation as it is a decency to other users on the road.”

The mayor wasn’t alone in citing the risks of riding without lights. Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens highlighted the impact that lightless cyclists have on the mentality of motorists around them, and the dangers that can cause.

“I do bang on about cyclists with lights, because I think that when people see cyclists without lights it increases the road rage,” Ms Mountstevens said.

“I’m trying to be impartial here, but if cyclists did have lights I think it would reduce the tenor of this conversation. You’d be saying cyclists were being responsible and motorists wouldn’t feel this immediate road rage everytime they see [a cyclist without lights].”

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13 comments

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Mr Agreeable | 10 years ago
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The ninja cyclists are more of a symptom than a problem IMO. Avon and Somerset has lost 40% of its dedicated traffic police over the past 10 years. Talk to anyone who's tried to report dangerous driving here and they'll tell you it's a waste of time.

So it's no wonder that there are so many lightless cyclists, cars with one headlamp, drivers chatting on mobiles or taxis running lights. Unless you happen to stumble into one of their well-publicised safety initiatives, you're pretty much free to do what you want.

I appreciate the police are hostages to fortune here and don't get much of a say in budgets, but under the circumstances, banging on about "mutual respect" strikes the wrong note entirely.

http://www.stolenbristolbikes.com/2013/12/r-e-s-p-e-c-t.html

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a.jumper | 10 years ago
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I road rage at unlit cars. Far more dangerous and there's a lot around this year.

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drfabulous0 replied to a.jumper | 10 years ago
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a.jumper wrote:

I road rage at unlit cars. Far more dangerous and there's a lot around this year.

Me too, but they look at you like you're insane and drive off into the night with the lights off as though they are about to do a drive by.

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daddyELVIS | 10 years ago
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I don't think the commissioner is trying very hard to be impartial. In fact her comments make me think she's starting from a biased position and is making excuses on behalf of motorists. How does she explain the rage shown to cyclists with lights, or in daylight hours - let me guess, RLJing, refusal to use cycle paths, non-helmet wearing!

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harrybav | 10 years ago
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Drivers no doubt hate cyclists w/o lights - forces them to slow down. Very little effect on actual safety.

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Sherlock Ohms | 10 years ago
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I commute by bike 4 days a week and once a week by car in Bristol, and whilst 'road rage' is a strong term, I do get pissed off idiots on bikes cycling the wrong way up a one way street, hood up, headphones in, in the middle of the road with no lights - I know it's a minority of riders, but that minority taints the good reputation of the rest of us, and causes non-cyclists to tar us all with the 'oh they all jump red lights' brush.

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harrybav replied to Sherlock Ohms | 10 years ago
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minority taints the good reputation of the rest of us, and causes non-cyclists to tar us all

We do not have a good reputation, we have no shared reputation with any other commuter except in the minds of people who think illogically, who perhaps think I ought to consider all motorists murderers. That's bonkers. If one driver runs a red, would you wave your fist at another? Don't meet and accept that thinking halfway. Leave them to their generalisations and self-serving delusions and do what you feel is safest out there.

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AlexStriplight | 10 years ago
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Great to hear a Mayor wanting to invest in best practice cycling infrastructure. If only London could have a Mayor like that.

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IanW1968 | 10 years ago
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Right or wrong it does antagonise other road users.

Whilst you would think that a cyclists vulnerable position would naturally make them more cautious, I sometimes think that is outweighed by a disproportionate amount of risk takers.

Can't support that with anything other than intuition, but whilst the perception is that it's a dangerous way to get around I suppose its likely to attract people more comfortable with risk.

Just a thought.

Well done Bristol btw!

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nowasps | 10 years ago
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A Police commissioner is seriously suggesting bikes without lights cause road-rage?

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Velo-Chris replied to nowasps | 10 years ago
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Huge well done to Bristol council for the stance they've taken on all fronts. Fingers crossed this will be the start of best practice that can be implemented in all major city's throughout the UK.

nowasps wrote:

A Police commissioner is seriously suggesting bikes without lights cause road-rage?

Such a positive article, why the need to take a negative from it? Many drivers don't like seeing other cars driving at night / in fog without lights on so it's highly likely cyclists are viewed in the same way. The commissioner has to appear to be objective and support everyone, I don't see the remark as being anything to worry about.

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fukawitribe replied to nowasps | 10 years ago
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nowasps wrote:

A Police commissioner is seriously suggesting bikes without lights cause road-rage?

Drives me round the bend, so he's not that far off in at least one case. Apart from the potential danger to themselves, I think it shows a rather large lack of regard for other road-users. I've not personally witnessed a secondary accident caused by it, but i've seen quite a few get extraordinarily close.

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to fukawitribe | 10 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:
nowasps wrote:

A Police commissioner is seriously suggesting bikes without lights cause road-rage?

Drives me round the bend, so he's not that far off in at least one case. Apart from the potential danger to themselves, I think it shows a rather large lack of regard for other road-users. I've not personally witnessed a secondary accident caused by it, but i've seen quite a few get extraordinarily close.

Yeah, but 'road rage'? That term generally means terrible driving due to uncontrolable temper, or threatening behaviour or violence.

Cyclists without lights mostly make me go 'tsk tsk' and feel disapproving and smugly superior, simultaneously (and wonder at yet another law the police never enforce). But it doesn't make me dangerously angry. If that's how it works with motorists it just confirms my suspicions about the psychological effects of driving!

(though really I suppose I'm merely saying 'ill feeling' would have been a more appropriate term)

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