Dame Sarah Storey
today argued for better bike lanes, as part of British
Cycling's One in a Million campaign.
The One in a Million campaign is British Cycling's initiative to
address the gender imbalance in cycling. The goal is to get a
million more women on bikes by 2020.
Storey said, 'We know that there is huge potential for women in
particular to make more everyday journeys - especially commuter
trips - by bike. Despite women on average having a shorter commute
than men, only a quarter of all cycle commuters are women, so we
clearly have a lot of work to do.'
'The reasons are quite clear: over two thirds of women believe that
it is too dangerous for them to cycle on the roads, with most citing
driver behaviour and inadequate cycle lanes and infrastructure as
the main hazards deterring them.'
'What these barriers also tell us is that painted, poor quality
cycle lanes on the road simply won't cut it. We have to stop
creating cycle lanes that are too narrow, poorly maintained, and
disconnected from other routes.'
'Above all, this comes down to the allocation of space, and if we
continue to squeeze the space available to people on bikes and foot,
they are more likely to have a negative experience. If anything, the
current provision in many cases makes it even harder for us to
enable new people to cycle, and offers very little incentive to
those who would like to make more active travel choices.'
'If we are to truly make people on bikes feel safer and reduce the
potential for conflict between road users, we need high-quality,
fully segregated routes in all towns and cities, built to clear and
consistent design standards, and properly enforced 20mph speed
limits on quieter streets. Anything less than this and cycling will
continue to be confined to the brave.'
I completely agree with Sarah Storey who expresses herself very
well. I don't really care that this campaign is only for women. In
any case these points apply to everyone.