Calls for safer roads in the mission to increase cycling across county
With billions ring-fenced for safe cycling road upgrades, a common desire for greener transport and ambitious plans in the offing to reinvent the county town, could Shropshire become the new Amsterdam?
A cycling campaigner hopes so, and is keen for council officials to saddle up and bring a safer, healthier future for transport in the county.
Shropshire Cycle Hub founder Mark Fermor and his team have been helping hundreds in the county get on their bikes in 2020. The charity is aiming to help facilitate a five-fold increase in cycling by 2025.
But for more people to switch from four wheels to two, he is realistic that our roads need to be safer and cycling needs to be more accessible.
“The amount of cars on the road is incredibly damaging. It’s the biggest part of our carbon footprint,” he said.
“I’ve been part of that. I was delighted to get my first Mini when I passed my driving test at 17. But I’ve come to realise the damage cars do.
“We set up to help people to get a bike or start using their old one again. To get people on the roads to be healthy and have a different lifestyle. I founded the hub to get bikes to people who need them.
“You look at countries like Holland, and they have had the same love affair with cars that we have. But they have invested in infrastructure for cycling since the 1980s. There has not been any real investment here in a long time.
“The trouble here is that people don’t think it is safe to cycle. In other countries, drivers are much more used to seeing bikes on the road. Every bike on the road usually means it’s another car not on the road.”
Sustainable
He added: “We set out a bold ambition to get cycling to increase five-fold in the county by 2025. I think a lot of people probably thought that was unrealistic.
"But we’ve seen with the coronavirus pandemic, if something is important enough, we can change. It would revolutionise our lives. We need a more urgent approach.”
Earlier this year, the government announced a £2 billion package to revitalise active travel in the country, advising councils to re-allocate road space for significantly more cyclists and walkers.
Shropshire Council has been looking at different green travel options - bidding for cash for an e-scooter trial and looking into plans to pedestrianise areas of Shrewsbury town centre.
The council’s transport lead Councillor Steve Davenport is also keen for a rethink over how buses run through the town, though campaigners insist a town centre station must remain.
Mark is encouraged by Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin councils’ interest in making transport more sustainable, but hopes significant strides can be made next year on infrastructure.
“We need Shropshire Council to come up with a plan we can support,” he said. “There have been lots of good suggestions.
“We’ve seen things that have worked well and when you look at the geography of a lot of our towns, there are plenty of obvious areas that would benefit from having proper cycle routes.”
