Cambridge cycling news roundup
6th August 2015
Julian Huppert interview
Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge until the last election, and former co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) gave an interview to Cambridge Cycling Campaign for their most recent newletter.
Huppert described the five years of the coalition as 'an amazing five years for the cause of cycling' in many ways. This was a result of success in the Olympics and the Tour de France, the Tour de France coming to the UK, and the Times 'cities fit for cycling' campaign. He said that he and others were able to make cycling matter in Parliament, with a record-breaking number of MPs at a cycling debate in Westminster Hall.
Highlights of the last Parliament included the Get Britain Cycling enquiry, and money allocated to cycling through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and the Cycle City Ambition grants. However, he expects the amendment he successfully introduced into the Infrastructure Act, to include a long-term investment strategy for cycling and walking, to have the biggest effect in the long run.
However, Huppert says it is 'pretty depressing' that Britain is still below the £10 per head funding called for by the Get Britain Cycling report, and it was disappointing that neither the Conservatives nor Labour would commit to this level of funding in their manifestoes for the general election.
Asked about his reasons for wanting to get more people cycling, Huppert said, 'Simple - it's a healthy, low-pollutant, low-carbon, efficient, economic, sociable, reliable, congestion-busting, fun thing to do. Individuals benefit when they cycle, the country benefits, and the world benefits. What's not to like?'
'In addition, supporting cycling is about deciding what sort of city we want to live in. If you think about the street you live in, and what you'd like it to look and feel like, you'd probably come up with something far more human than most of our streets currently are.'
Huppert also told Cambridge Cycling Campaign that Philip Hammond, who was transport secretary at the start of the coalition, wanted to get rid of cyling as a DfT function, and he was responsible for abolishing Cycling England.
Cambridge, Britain's cycling capital - Streetfilms video
Meanwhile, Streetfilms has made a video showing how and why cycling is flourishing in Cambridge:
Cambridge: Britain's Cycling Capital from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.