I have contacted every Brighton and Hove City Councillor several times to ask them to sign up to sensible points to assist cycling in the city.
A total of 19 have signed up to Space for Cycling so far.
The national Space for Cycling campaign aims to secure political commitment to cycle-friendly planning and the funding needed to deliver them so everyone can cycle.
Councils are responsible for public health strategy and so need to take this seriously. In the days before this year’s Brighton Marathon, extremely poor air quality prevented people taking exercise safely. Consequences for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions were worse.
DEFRA said ‘the majority of the pollution is made up from locally generated particulate matter’, so it is not correct to simply blame foreign pollution or Saharan dust.
Air pollution is linked to 29,000 premature deaths a year. The Supreme Court has ruled the Government must tackle air pollution.
If 25% of trips were made by bike, there would be £42bn in annual benefits due to improved health, reduced emissions, congestion, noise and accidents and improved air quality.
Within 20 years, increased physical activity would bring reductions in type two diabetes, dementia, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer leading to savings of £17 billion for the NHS.
People who walk or cycle to work also benefit from improved mental wellbeing in comparison with those who travel by car. So do challenge council candidates if they haven’t signed up to Space for Cycling.
Becky Reynolds is campaigns officer for Bricycles, the Brighton and Hove Cycling Campaign.
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