British cities keen to promote cycling should make provision for as many as one in two trips being by bike, a leading transport engineering specialist said on Monday.

Professor John Parkin of the University of the West of England said: “Cities in parts of the Netherlands and Denmark are getting up to 50% cycling modal share, so I can well believe that ought to be very achievable in some of our towns and cities.”

Professor Parkin was speaking at an event in London to launch new CIHT guidelines ‘Planning for Cycling’ of which he is a co-author. The guidelines have been produced on behalf of the Institution's Urban Design Panel.

He added that cycling should be regarded as a mode that is properly planned for, rather than just a safety problem that needs addressing. He also said: "A bicycle is a vehicle and is capable of significant speed. All too often traffic engineers think of cyclists as akin to pedestrians, but they should be dealt with separately."

Conference delegates also heard from the Department for Transport about its draft cycling delivery plan and a forthcoming update to the Traffic Signs Regulations & General Directions that will include details of several new traffic signs to improve facilities for cyclists.

Cycling group CTC’s policy director Roger Geffen said that now the CIHT guidelines are published both central and local government need to commit more to cycle funding. He added that councils should also encourage their councillors and public health officials to support measures that encourage travel by bicycle.

(Photo: Geraint Rowland)

To return to the newsletter, please close this window.