Cycling has massive health benefits with regular cyclists living longer than non-cyclists on average. COVID19 has shown added importance for the health benefits of cycling, and quieter roads during lockdown gave many people the confidence to cycle safely for the first time.

Research shows that providing cycle parking space increases town centre economic activity more than providing car parking space.

Bedford Council has been following a variety of policies aimed to improve life for local cyclists, including increased security for cycle parking. However, some of these measures have been counter-productive, with some cycle lanes marked on busy roads actually making the roads less safe for cyclists. Recent research by Thomas Adams of TfL and Prof Rachel Aldred* shows that cycle lanes marked by dashed lines (advisory lanes) are less safe for cyclists than the same roads without cycle lanes marked.

As a consequence, we call on the council to stop marking cycle lanes on busy roads. Where such markings are present, we call on the council to change the cycle lanes to make them safe for cyclists. There should be physical separation, and safety measures to ensure cyclists can negotiate junctions smoothly, quickly and safely.

We call on the council to lift the ban on cycling in the town centre which penalises safe and considerate cyclists, while dangerous cyclists who refuse to stop get away unpunished. The ban deters people from cycling into the town centre and pushes responsible cyclists onto less safe routes, without protecting pedestrians from any real danger. In the last five years there have been no injuries caused by cyclists in the pedestrianised zone, but two by motor vehicles.

We call on the council to provide more low traffic neighbourhoods, opening them up to increased, safer, cycling and walking.

We call on the council to introduce 20mph speed limits for all residential areas and the whole of the town centre area.

We call on the council to upgrade existing cycle routes to the standards in the national LTN 1/20.

We call on the council to immediately widen the pavement on the north side of Bromham Road bridge to make a 3m wide dual-use space for pedestrians and cyclists.†

We call on the council to urgently reconfigure the High Street so that the single lane is 3.0m, and no wider, and there are cycle lanes segregated from the carriageway in both directions.

We call on the council to introduce a new planning policy increasing the number of cycle parking spaces for new housing.‡

We call on the council to provide dedicated funding for ‘Bikeability’ cycle training of pupils in all schools.

Notes:
* https://findingspress.org/article/18226-cycling-injury-risk-in-london-impacts-of-road-characteristics-and-infrastructure
† This can be achieved by reducing the roadway to 6.2m. The road has been rebuilt with a carriageway width of 7.3m, but this is now mainly recommended for high speed roads on the strategic network. As the road had been downgraded to A4280 this width is not necessary. The Manual for Streets (para 8.6.5) states that lanes wider than 3.0m are not necessary in most urban areas carrying mixed traffic.
‡ Current policy is that even in developments where there is no car parking, the requirement is for one long-term cycle parking space per bedroom or less. The number of spaces in secure cycle parking should be no less than one per bed-space, with additional space for trailers and non-standard cycles.