Transport infrastructure – designed with who in mind?

By in BikeShed

transportAmid any debate on infrastructure for cyclists, there is an element of cyclist Vs motorist. The issue often appears to be a zero sum game: one side cannot benefit without the other suffering. Historically one-sided transport policy is largely to blame for the infighting between road users and such infighting is hindering the nation’s ability to optimally develop it’s transport infrastructure (the government’s unwillingness to invest is another issue altogether).

50+ years of car-centric transport planning has elevated the car to such a level that many motorists believe cyclists to be using their roads without having asked for permission. (Most people reading this will be aware that motorists do not pay ‘road tax’, but a ‘vehicle excise duty’ that varies with the amount of pollution emitted. This is a point that has been well made before and doesn’t really need to be made again here). Hence the introduction of bus lanes, cycle lanes, pedestrian only zones and congestion charges are treated as an assault on liberty; as a withdrawal of the motorists freedom to roam.

And so we find ourselves in a situation where transport policy cannot be freely optimised. A bike uses considerably less road space than a car (and has a not too dissimilar average number of occupants), produces less emissions and as cycle-couriers will testify, can be faster than a car in our big cities. Yet neither announced nor proposed policies set out to take full advantage of the bikes ability to transport people and goods from A to B. Cycle lanes, the focal point of cycling infrastructure, remain very much a ‘bolt-on’ to a road system that was (and continues to be) designed with cars in mind. Until central planners take the bold step of ignoring the most powerful interest groups and, in an unbiased way, make the decision to optimise the country’s road network for transport (in whatever form it may come), cyclists will be very much underserved by the nation’s infrastructure.

Post a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *