Great Western Coffee Shop

Chris Boardman has been appointed interim commissioner of Active Travel England, based in York.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60092864 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60092864)

£5.5 million has been allocated for local cycling and walking schemes including £300k for e-cargo bike schemes; a further £3 million has been allocated for cycle parking at 23 train stations and dedicated cycle routes to five.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/chris-boardman-heads-active-travel-england (https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/chris-boardman-heads-active-travel-england)

As usual they appear to have things back to front, get the "dedicated cycle routes" to stations in first, because people will not risk their necks to get to "cycle parking at 23 train stations". Plus £3 million get you far to the station(s).

Words from the man himself

https://twitter.com/Chris_Boardman (https://twitter.com/Chris_Boardman)

Wonder how long he’ll last before resigmimg because he’s frustrated with Government?

Might be the other way round as he is a person who tend to say as he finds, so not one to toe a party line. No fool so probably very aware of what he is stepping into, but has obviously decided to give it a go. Won't have the same supportive environment that I think he has had in Greater Manchester.

GM will be quite good training, I think. The experience there seemed to be that the "centre" was keen but that the metro boroughs were in some cases more resistant. That'll be the case here too - e.g. Oxfordshire about to sign off £1.2m on paint-only cycle lanes, which is exactly what central Government guidance say they shouldn't do.