I’ve always been a keen cyclist – mainly because I enjoy it, but also for the freedom it gives me.
Cycling is also really good for us in lots of ways: it boosts health immunity, is good for your physical health, burning up to 5 calories a minute, it slows physical and cognitive signs of aging and is very good for our mental health, and reduces the chances of depression by up to 1/3.
Cycling also helps reduce air pollution, reducing harmful vehicle emissions and saves money.
However, there are a number of things that put people off cycling. Number one is a fear of accidents, but potholes and poor road design are also significant factors.
It makes complete sense to get more people cycling around the district, so we need to try and make cycling feel like an easier, safer and more attractive option. The number one thing we can do is try and make as many safe, dedicated cycle paths as we can.
The Stroud Valleys trail, which runs along the old railway line from Stonehouse to Stroud, and down to Nailsworth is well established, and, with others, I have been working for years on the Cam, Dursley and Uley Greenway path, which is beginning to fall into place. The Wotton, Charfield and Kingswood Greenway Group is working hard to create a path linking to the new Charfield station. The physical geography of the district can make establishing these routes difficult – like the proposed Golden valley route between Stroud and Chalford – but they are essential, and we have to keep pushing.
We also need to increase the number of 20mph zones in built up areas to make things safer for both cyclists and drivers. The Cycle to Work Scheme offers tax incentives for employees to purchase a bike through their employer (but is currently under review).
I also think that we need to ensure that all new developments have specific provision for cyclists and need to continue to encourage schools to make cycling to school a practical reality for families. As a community we all have a role to play, providing safe public cycle racks in our towns (and at big employers), and simply by being more mindful of cyclists on our roads. We have to get our roads better maintained (and designed) – potholes are bad for cars – but worse for bicycles!
Stroud is lucky to have Creative Sustainability’s Access Bike project, helping people to maintain and fix their bikes. We also have an exciting opportunity in Parliament, with Chris Boardman’s involvement in the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking (APPGCW), in which I am actively involved.
Like so many things, it’s a case of having to push forward on a number of fronts. But we are lucky in Stroud that our town, District and County councils are all committed to making this work.
