A COORDINATOR for the Shrewsbury and North Shropshire Green Party has backed the government’s aim to make proper provision for cycling.
Duncan Kerr has welcomed the news that the government intends to get serious about forcing councils to provide more lanes for safe cycling.
Mr Kerr believes this move will combat ‘token lanes’ and instead see more lanes of better quality become available for cyclists in areas such as Oswestry.
He said: “It is great to hear the government recognises that merely painting lines on a road where vehicles travel at 30mph doesn’t make for safe cycling.
“Unfortunately the little provision that Shropshire Council has made for cycling has been to create these token lanes that have been rightly labelled as substandard by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“I visited the one in Middleton Road, Oswestry today, and as is normal there were vans and cars parked right across it, proving the point that they maybe be cheap but they are not safe.”
To increase the safety of cycle lanes and to encourage more people to get on their bikes, Mr Kerr hopes Shropshire Council will give more backing to the idea of active travel.
“We need properly segregated cycle lanes. Shropshire Council will now need to urgently review its priorities in favour of active travel,” he said.
“It can avoid having its highways budget cut in the future by the new government watchdog by committing to provide an underpass at Mile End, Oswestry for cyclist and walkers who will be unable to cross the new double roundabout that is being created there at a cost of more than £16m.
“They might also help themselves, and the sustainability of the county, by abandoning the costly and destructive North West Relief Road for Shrewsbury.
“The other elements such as the prescribing of cycling and walking by GPs all show that the green message is getting through.
“Active travel by cycling and walking is not only more sustainable it is better for our physical and mental health.”
Shropshire Council has been approached for comment.
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