Dear all

Cycle monitoring results received from HCC. The figures in detail are in a spreadsheet on the CTC_East, HertsCycleCampaigning and CycleHitchin group filespaces respectively. Contact me if you would like to see them but do not have access to these groups.

Generally encouraging picture with a steady growth of 5% in measured trips per year. It’s a long way from John Prescott’s original target of doubling cycle use and doubling it again, but it is at least progress in the right direction, and exceeds the county’s own (thoroughly un-ambitious) targets.

Star of the show is Station Road in Tring, more than doubling cycle use in 4 years. Villain of the show is Two Waters Road in Hemel, with a fall of 14%.

In North Herts we have growth in North Road, Royston (slightly surprising given how narrow the cycle lanes are here), and falling levels in Baldock Rd, Letchworth (possibly as a result of the Baldock bypass making driving more attractive – this road has seen a growth in motor traffic levels following opening of the bypass).

But what does this mean ?

At the measured rate of growth it will take around 200 years before Hertfordshire towns approach the sort of cycling levels seen across the county border in Cambridge, and a further 50-100 years before they reach levels seen today in the Netherlands. If we follow HCC’s targets it would take over 700 years to reach Dutch levels of cycling. 700 years ago we didn’t have cars or bicycles, and Edward II had just lost Scotland to Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. 700 years is a very long time to wait for road conditions to be civilised enough for cycling to be viewed as normal.

Regards
 
 
 
Alasdair DV Massie CEng MIStructE

CTC Right to Ride Representative, North Herts

CTC is Britain’s largest cycling organisation with 70,000 members. Formed in 1878 we have actively campaigned for better, safer roads, locally and nationally since our inception.

We have a large and active section for North Herts and Stevenage.

wwww.ctc.org.uk            www.northhertsctc.org.uk