CTC quizzes general election candidates as Vote Bike initiative launched

National cycling charity CTC is urging all prospective parliamentary candidates standing at May’s general election to make clear their positions on cycling by seeking their responses to five questions put to them in a letter from its president, the broadcaster Jon Snow.

You can also contact the candidates in your own constituency via a form on a newly launched website, votebike.org.uk, to find out their views on the five topics in question – infrastructure, funding, ambition for growth, road safety and positive promotion.

CTC, which as part of the UK Cycling Alliance hosted the Big Cycling Debate in London last month where representatives of the three main parties outlined their respective positions on cycling, says that following the election, the responses will constitute a database of where individual MPs stand on the issue.

It is calling on PPCs to make their views known on five topics:

Ambition
Increase levels of cycling to 10% of trips by 2025 and 25% by 2050

Funding
An average government spend of at least £10 per person per year on cycling

Design standards
Create consistently high design standards for cycling in all highway and traffic schemes, new developments and planned road maintenance work

Safety
Measures to improve cycle safety by strengthening road traffic law and its enforcement and revising the Highway Code

Positive promotion
Support positive promotion of cycling, including cycle skills training, for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

While issues such as the economy, the NHS, Europe and immigration will corner much of the attention of the media – and voters – in the run-up to the election, CTC chief executive Paul Tuohy claims there is a "cycling vote," and says politicians need to be aware of it.

He said: "Around 40% of people of voting age in Great Britain have access to a bike.

“Every one of them has a vested interest in seeing conditions improve for cycling. Vote Bike gives them the means to quiz their future MPs and hear their thoughts on cycling.

"It's not about trying to influence manifestos at this late stage. Candidates need to know this huge cycling vote exists.

"Under the past Parliament cycling has enjoyed a great amount of support from the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group under Julian Huppert, Ian Austin and Sarah Wollaston.

“Looking forward, CTC also hopes Vote Bike will help the group identify future members to carry on their good work of the next five years," he added.

The Vote Bike website also contains statements by nine of the 12 principal parties fielding candidates at the general election of their positions in cycling, including the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UK Independence parties.

The Scottish National Party also responded, as did Plaid Cymru in Wales and, in Northern Ireland, the Alliance Party and the Social Democrat & Labour Party.

No responses were received from the Respect Party, or from Northern Irish parties the Democratic Unionist Party or Sinn Fein.