Installing Pop-Up Cycleways In British Cities Matter Of Social Justice, Says Chris Boardman

Making post-pandemic space for cyclists in U.K. cities “isn’t right now about pollution, congestion, inactivity, or cost,” said British Cycling’s policy adviser Chris Boardman on June 12.

“It’s about social justice, social inclusion, and making sure that those who don’t have a car have a safe travel choice.”

He was talking on a webinar hosted jointly by British Cycling and the All Party Parliamentary Cycling and Walking Group.

As the U.K. economy begins to revive—retailers of all stripes will be allowed to open from June 15—the reduction in public-transit capacity due to the requirements of social distancing means trips that may have been usually done by bus or light-rail may now have to be made by other means.

People in lower income households usually make two-and-a-half times as many bus journeys as those in higher income households, said a report from the government’s Social Mobility Commission on June 10.

“In the UK around a quarter of all households don’t have access to a car, so they are reliant on public transport,” said Boardman, who is also Greater Manchester’s cycling and walking commissioner.

He added: “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.

“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.”

One alternative is walking, which is to be recommended for short journeys but for longer ones the bicycle can be ideal. Not everybody can cycle, but for those who can, cycling can be a liberating—sometimes even exhilarating—form of practical daily transport.

Many local authorities in the U.K. have followed cities such as Paris, Milan and Berlin and installed pop-up “corona cycleways.” These on-road routes for cyclists are protected by plastic barriers—of which there is now a national shortage—and could, in time, be made permanent through the use of concrete curbs.

Boardman is in favor of pop-up cycleways—and widened sidewalks—and he links them with the so-called “reallocation of roadspace,” the often thorny issue of taking space from motorists and, for reasons of equity, devoting it instead to cyclists and pedestrians.

“Social justice is a strong reason for change,” stressed Boardman.

“It helps politicians make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions, and it also helps the public understand and tolerate changes that might inconvenience them.”

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