Installing temporary cycle lanes is a matter of social justice, British Cycling Policy Adviser Chris Boardman said in a speech to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling and Walking Group last week. He noted that without providing safe space, hundreds of thousands will be forced to stay home or overcrowd public transport.
As Britain’s economy begins to reopen – starting with non-essential retail on Monday 15 June – the reduction in public transport capacity due to social distancing requirements means that in Greater Manchester alone almost 250,000 daily public transport trips of three miles or less would need to be made through other means if people travel as they did before lockdown.
The All Party Parliamentary Group session – titled ‘How local transport decisions can help during a national crisis’ – was delivered as part of British Cycling’s #ChooseCycling campaign. The campaign is aiming to support commuters, communities and councils to help more people get around by bike and bring about a ‘golden age for cycling’.
Boardman’s comments follow a new report from the UK Government’s Social Mobility Commission on Wednesday (10 June) which found that people in lower income households make 2.5 times as many bus journeys as those in higher income households, highlighting how the lowest paid will be hit hardest.
Chris Boardman said “Social justice is a strong reason for change. It helps politicians make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions, and it also helps the public understand and tolerate changes that might inconvenience them.
“In the UK around a quarter of all households don’t have access to a car, so they are reliant on public transport. On a standard day in Greater Manchester there are 300,000 trips on public transport of three miles or less; and for the next few months at least, those public transport options will be limited to less than 20% of usual occupancy.
“That means every day 240,000 people will not be able to travel in this way if they are to comply with social distancing guidelines.”
He continued, “We’d need to find 12,000 extra buses to accommodate them, which is clearly impossible, so 240,000 people – many without access to a car – must find an alternative or simply not travel to work, schools or the shops.
“Right now, this isn’t about pollution, congestion, inactivity, or cost – the usual arguments for investment in cycling. It’s about social justice, social inclusion, and making sure that those who don’t have a car have a safe travel choice.”
Figures from the UK Department for Transport show that there were 4.3 billion bus trips in 2018, 20% of which were commuter journeys and 25% for shopping purposes.
Britain’s biggest bus operator, Stagecoach, is currently running its fleet at around 20% of normal passenger capacity while current social distancing measures remain in place.
