Highways Agency to invest £20 million in strategic cycling improvements across the UK

Highways Agency to invest £20 million in strategic cycling improvements across the UK

Isn't the Highways Agency an "England only" QUANGO (soon to be renamed "Highways England") - if so what remit do they have outside England? (equivalent services in Scotland, NI & Wales being Transport Scotland, NI Roads Service & Department of Economy & Transport)

Not saying that some more spending on cycling wouldn't be good, but actually, just for the record as a former contractor for the HA your statistics are incorrect. Simply dividing the miles of motorway by the total budget is misleading, as the HA also has to maintain hundreds of bridges and thousands of miles of A road. Then there's the technology (message signs etc), accident clear-up, litter picking... etc etc.

To put things in perspective, 2013-14 budget is £1,700 million, 2014-15 budget is £1,900 million. £10 million is less than 0.6% of that.

From The Times

He said that road designers often had little or no training in how to cater for cyclists. “As a highways engineer myself I spend an awful lot of time designing roundabouts and bridges, actually I didn’t spend a great deal of time at university or subsequently looking at provision for non-motorised users.”

Since £20 million won't actually be enough to build anything much, perhaps the money would be better spent training the 3,400 staff of the Highways Agency and other transport agencies. £20 million could buy a lot of training.

As long as half of it doesn't get wasted in red tape and planning etc it can only be good. Every little helps.

Will there be £100 to pay me to cut down the lethal brambles that are currently a major injury risk around and on the side of the guided bus way approaching Cambridge Regional College, Histon and Oakington bus stops. I am sick of getting scratched and jerseys pulled as they stick right out across the path at least 2metres. It's a nightmare, bloody dangerous when it's busy with cyclists and peds going in all directions, all wanting space to avoid them and the thistles, the thistles!! There's going to be a bad accident soon, some one will be seriously injured killed if there is a collision. The bastards at County Hall Cambridgeshire Council are only interested in protecting their revenue stream, only making sure vegetation is kept cut back right adjacent to the bus track as buses mean cash for them £££££££. Cambridgeshire County Council don't give a fuck about the safety of cyclists and peds. The junction at Cambridge Regional College is a death trap. The track must be about 3m narrower owing to all the overgrown vegetation along the sides. Hopeless!

Incoming local rag/Daily Mail articles decrying "gratuitous spending on lycra-clad minorities during times of austerity" in 3... 2... 1...

Peanuts,adding insult to injury,this cretinous amount will just about cover abit of dulux splashed here and there on the fucking road
might aswell put a rope around our necks now
this really is one of the most backward corrupt fucked up countries on Earth
Highways agency my backside

Flat pedals on a Road bike? Tut!

Pitiful!