Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner (Chris Boardman) has published his thoughts on what is needed to transform Manchester’s cycling and walking environment. As someone who generally talks a lot of sense (i.e. I agree with most of what he says!) Chris’ report is worth a read.
Download the report here. Only 17 pages with lots of pictures and graphs.
Amongst the quotes from Chris Boardman are,
“For too long our town and city streets have been designed around motorised vehicles, leaving them unsafe, unattractive and difficult to navigate on foot or by bike.
[The world’s happiest countries] prioritise walking and cycling
above all other modes of transport. But the fact is that people will only travel this way if it is easy and pleasant. Riding a bicycle or crossing a street should not require bravery.
We need protected space; uninterrupted, all the way from where
I am to where I want to be. Only with safe and attractive space will people that don’t walk or cycle now, venture out onto the road in significant numbers.”
The report is aimed at Manchester only but Derby could learn a lot from the approach. A lot of the proposed solutions for Manchester are also what are needed in other cities including Derby.
Happy reading over the holidays!