County Council elections are just around the corner…some suggestions for Party manifestos

It’s February 2025, and on the back of City Council elections in May 2024 followed swiftly by a General Election, we’ve got the County Council elections being held in a couple of months.

As we’ve done in both recent elections, detailed below are a series of practical and affordable policy suggestions for any political party interested in increasing rates of active travel, notably cycling. Because at Bike Worcester we think we’re incredibly well placed to offer suggestions, giving that we live and breathe this stuff, day in, day out.

As soon as we’ve got some local party manifestos to munch through we’ll then compare and contrast, and give them each a score. Maybe this is enough to swing a vote one way or another; it certainly will affect my vote.

As always we are happy to meet with parties, councillors, or candidates to discuss the suggestions, how they could be implemented, and the potential benefits, and continue to extend an open invitation to anyone who would like to experience travelling around the city by bike, to see the benefits and challenges, or to see our volunteer sessions first hand. We can make bikes available if required for those who don’t currently have access to one, and would welcome your attendance on the Bike Buses we support, where you can see the transformative effects of choosing a bike for short journeys has on the community, even for those with short legs. Alternatively, we are happy to extend an invitation to a post Bike Bus coffee, which happens most Fridays after the morning school run is completed. We can also offer to cycle routes and video the experience for those who can’t get out on two (or three) wheels. Please, reach out.

Enabling and encouraging active travel has the potential to transform communities across the UK, and remains a prominent area of policy and discussion at all levels of politics and in the media. The benefits are broad, and the cost of implementing policies to enable and encourage more active travel are relatively cheap.

Generating modal shift from private cars to walking and cycling for short urban journeys benefits everyone, and creates healthier, happier and safer communities, and at the same time reduces pollution, noise, congestion and carbon emissions.

Before anyone says it, I understand the County Council cannot make decisions on behalf of schools, or West Mercia Police; you certainly can work with these other organisations towards a common aim which benefits all parties. So including policies to state your intention to work with these organisations is not an unreasonable expectation.

Anyway, here we go:

Council

• Aim to make Worcestershire known as a walking and cycling county within the UK, adopting best practice, stepping forward to trial new ideas, and aiming for an Active Travel England rating of 4.

• Communication plan to share the benefits of active travel (health, air quality, carbon emissions, reduce congestion, reduce noise, improve road safety, cheaper)

• Clearly state it is Council policy to aim for the target of 50% of journeys to be by walking or cycling by 2030, in line with central Government targets

• Assess where Worcester currently is with regard to cycling rates, and make plans as to how we increase the rates of walking and cycling to hit the target

• Communicate that modal shift to walking and cycling for short urban journeys are the preferred method of transport – this is the choice we want people to make

• Measurement of active travel levels (counters, regular surveys, school travel plans)

• Create Council Member Champion position with responsibility for Active Travel, spanning transport, health, economy, environment, education

• Worcester City Council has adopted the SHIFT scheme to incentivise active travel for employees and members; review performance and make improvements, and share success with local business to further incentivise active travel amongst the business community

• Implement School Streets on a trial basis; if successful, make permanent

• Modal filters – reflect on the number of modal filters already in place in Worcestershire, and their success; identify additional potential modal filters

• Introduce a policy of above inflation increases in car park fees, to achieve the national average

• Review free on street parking; remove parking or introduce charging (in line with other cities)

• Review lighting on active travel routes; lack of lighting is a barrier to women cycling

• Review bench provision, notably on routes where walking is enabled (eg. Sabrina Bridge to Foregate Street)

• Introduce rapid removal of vehicles without valid VED, MOT or insurance

• Lead by example – councillors and officers visibly choosing active travel

• Genuine engagement and consultation with informed stakeholders (local advocacy groups)

Infrastructure

• Dedicated annual budget as part of Highways for changes to benefit cycling

• Detailed plan including timescales and budget allocations for implementation of LCWIPs (not kicked down the road)

• Put Worcestershire forward as a proactive LA, happy to be a test bed for innovative and forward thinking transport solutions (eg. Dutch roundabouts and side road zebra crossings)

• Acknowledgement that current infrastructure and network is poor; identify improvements

• Trial immediate 6 month removal of TRO prohibiting cycling and mobility scooters in Worcester City centre

• Enable a residents led review of speed limits for motor vehicles, and an easy implementation of reducing speed limits, particular in the light of the reduction in RTCs due to 20 mph in Wales

• Review all city barriers, and start redesign / removal

• Review all TROs re. cycling down alleys / modal filters – share with care where appropriate

• Communicate desire for public engagement as to how to improve the public realm

• Provide open system for collection and collation of improvement ideas in public realm, made visible to the public, including how suggestions are progressing

• Attempt to make visible changes (even if low cost or small) to demonstrate intention to improve

• Review one-way streets and consider contra flow for bikes

• Statement of intent to work towards the repair and re-opening of riverside paths (Northwick Slip (East side) and Severn Way (West side))

Schools and education

• Support implementation of Bike Buses in all Worcestershire schools

• Update travel plans to schools, including existing transport choice surveys

• Undertake project to identify barriers to active travel, problems and suggested improvements

• Schools encouraged to sign up to active travel schemes (Sustrans)

West Mercia Police

• Adopt Vision Zero (zero Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) Road Traffic Collisions (RTC))

• Communicate desire to protect vulnerable road users

• Greater visibility of police on bikes

• Improve detail of Operation Snap statistics, including actual outcomes; communicate via website Operation Snap statistics

• Education of motorists regarding requirement for protection of vulnerable road users

• Education of motorists regarding illegal behaviour