There has been a lot in the news recently about many people, notably eminent economists, urging George Osborne to invest in infrastructure for the benefit of the economy. Various forms of such investment have been suggested but I have yet to hear any suggestion of significant investment in cycling infrastructure.
I think that this is a major opportunity that we are in danger of missing. I am sure that major investment in cycleways is very good investment for government both in terms of the size and speed of pay-back. We really need to assemble a good fiscal case for such investment and do all that we can to publicise it.
The open letter to Nick Clegg was a start, but I have not seen anything else since. The letter also seemed to stress the quality-of-life rather than financial advantages of cycling infrastructure. At a time of budgetary stringency with a predominately Tory government, such arguments stand no real chance of being persuasive. The inevitable response will be that we cannot afford to invest in cycling infrastructure. We need to make the case that we cannot afford not to invest in it.
We need to be able to list all of the benefits to the economy of increased cycling modal share with estimates of their value and the best possible evidence backing it up. These included reduced congestion, reduced sick-leave for cycling employees and reduced cost to the health service. There are probably others as well.
It is also important to recognise the politics of the government we are trying to influence and taylor the arguments accordingly. For example, the government is very keen on getting people on welfare back into work. Such people generally cannot afford a car and may often be prevented from taking a job only a few miles by lack of a sensible transport option. Cycling to work is an option that few would currently consider. If cycling infrastructure can be presented as a means of reducing welfare dependency, it will be far more appealing to the average Tory.
What can we do to move this forward?
