Setbacks to Sustainable Transport

This week we participated in two major campaigns.

The cycling world is alarmed to hear that the government plans to abolish Cycling England - we know that cuts are coming but when is has been shown that investment in cycling, which costs very little, has a cost benefit ratio of 5:1 (for every pound you spend you get five back) we had hoped that the con-dems would show some sense. We've written to Nick Clegg about this (having the Deputy PM as your MP could turn out to be handy) and plan to follow this up with a visit  to his surgery in November. We have heard, however (but not in writing) that the bikeability cycle training programme has been safeguarded

We were also alarmed to hear that the PTE had decided to cancel the planned trial of bikes on Supertram, following a negative response from Stagecoach that exaggerated the difficulties of allowing bikes on board, and played down the benefits. We won't this rest here, but we are getting a little tired of getting the run-around from the public transport operators. Stagecoach are the custodians of a system that was built with public money and should be operating it for the benefit of the community.  Meanwhile  another branch of the Stagecoach empire, East Midlands Trains, has been raising hackles by cancelling the buffet on London trains and running a trolley service instead and are still threatening to close the station footbridge to non-rail passengers.