FEATURE
‘DON’T ANSWER STUPID QUESTIONS’
How can the bike industry best negotiate the road ahead? Chris Boardman, among others, has a few thoughts on strategy, policy, infrastructure and getting the right message across. By Graham Willgoss
The only place that has bicycle registration in the world is North Korea.”
If the (frankly, daft) question of bike registration had to come up, it’s the fault of then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. He made headlines over the summer with his ideas about mandatory insurance and number plates for cyclists. It was an easy one for Chris Boardman, in his role as national active travel commissioner for Active Travel England, to bat away in front of the Transport Committee in the first week of September. When BikeBiz spoke to Boardman – and felt compelled
to cover off the same issue – he talks like someone who has spent a lifetime measuring everything, and using the evidence to move forwards.
“I just focus on the fact that we know, regardless of the headlines, 70% of people want to see more cycling and walking – even if it requires road space giving over,” he said. “So I will counter that [opposition narrative] where it’s required. But a lot of the time the strategy has to be: just don’t give it any air time. You don’t answer stupid questions and perpetuate the argument about something that’s not important. The Department for Transport knows that putting licences on bikes and enforcing these mandatory things doesn’t get the outcomes, and so we don’t need to speak to that kind of stuff.” It’s a question that must have felt close to home in Boardman’s official position, to which he was appointed in June. Active Travel England is a Department for Transport (DfT) agency with a mission to raise the standard of cycling and walking infrastructure, and manage the £2 billion active travel budget for England. So, what does the future look like for cycling from where Boardman sits? “Context is important,” he said. “Whether you like cycling or not, it’s cheap. It’s nine-times cheaper than running a car. And that really matters right now. “It’s super-reliable, it’s equitable. [It addresses] all of the big issues that you face. Not that I think we should be talking about health, for example, because that’s kind of a byproduct. That’s not how people make choices. But things people are scared
www.bikebiz.com
Chris Boardman has vowed to counter opposition to cycling
about, and things people want – that’s how we make choices. We just keep fitting into those boxes more and more.” And that’s before we lift the lid on the box marked ‘global warming’. “We know we won’t make our carbon targets, our legal targets, unless we drive a lot less,” Boardman continued. “And the only politically palatable way to do that is to give people a viable, attractive alternative. “You just need to look at it through the lens of a crisis. And
active travel is so incredibly robust. So, [if we talk about where we will be] in five years’ time? It’s here. We’ve joked several times over the years that we should get a t-shirt that says: ‘Cycling. The least shit option.’ Because even if you hate it, you’ve almost got to back it. So I’m optimistic in that respect. I’m not sure if that’s optimistic or pessimistic. I think it’s realistic.” If the Government expects half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030, then Active Travel England’s (ATE) targets must be realistic. Danny Williams, ATE’s CEO and Boardman’s fellow witness in front of the
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