This document outlines a campaign in Sheffield, UK to promote "Space for Cycling" and make the city more bike-friendly. It discusses the origins of the Space for Cycling movement in London and how the campaign has expanded nationally. The campaign aims to get local councilor candidates to pledge support for specific cycling improvements in each of Sheffield's 28 wards. Volunteers are being recruited to help spread awareness of the campaign and Big Ride event in April through activities in their local wards like flyering and social media. The goal is to increase cycling and pressure local politicians and highways officials to prioritize bike infrastructure and safety.
2. Where did Space for Cycling come
from?
London, 2013
• 20 year old Philippine de Gerin-Ricard
killed by a lorry while riding a ‘Boris
bike’
• London Cycling Campaign organise a
mass peaceful protest ride.
•1500 people ride to call for safe ‘space
for cycling’
•The day after the ride Alan Neve killed
by a tipper truck while on his way to
work.
•A second mass protest ride is
organised, this time attracting 2500.
•A third ride is organised, 5000 people
ride to Parliament to demand safe
space for cycling.
3. In September 2013 FIVE THOUSAND people rode to
Westminster to call for safe Space for Cycling.
5. But this time they weren’t
alone....
Big Rides took place across the UK as CTC took
the campaign national.
Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol,
Birmingham...
7. This year, our Big Ride will be even BIGGER
and even BETTER.
It will be the finale to an ambitious political
campaign where we will persuade our local
politicians to deliver real change in Sheffield.
9. Cycling & the liveable city
•Economy: People who use cycles for transport shop more regularly and are more likely to
shop locally.
•Congestion: Cycling is often quicker than driving in urban areas. 60% of car trips are five
miles or less..
•Environment: Sheffield has been named by the WHO as breaching safety guidelines for air
pollution. In Sheffield poor air quality contributes to the premature deaths of 500 people
every year.
•Health: Cycling incorporates physical activity into everyday travel.
Cycling helps boost the economy, cut congestion, improve health and reduce pollution.
10.
11. If making a journey by bike is to be a
realistic choice, routes must be –
• Direct, door to door
• Suitable for all ages and abilities.
• Safe, convenient and enjoyable.
The greater the advantages of cycling, the more people will choose it.
12. Who should we design for?
Current standard of cycle facilities are designed for ‘cyclists’.
• Fit, fast, confident and assertive
• Rides a standard two-wheel cycle
Instead, facilities must be designed for
PEOPLE WHO DON’T CYCLE (or at least not in the UK)
Want to travel at my own pace.
Not as manoeuvrable as I used to be.
Worried about hurting myself.
My car is quick, it’s convenient and it’s
comfortable.
I want to arrive at work relaxed.
Want my child to be safe.
Need to travel at my child’s pace.
Want my child to be able to make a
simple mistake without it leading to
serious injury.
14. Protected Space on main roads &
through junctions
Main roads are often the quickest route from A to B.
• Physical protection preferred.
The higher the traffic volumes and speeds, the more important
this is.
• Permeable protection
OK at lower speeds. Flexible and adaptable, cheaper.
Partial protection (London)
•Busy streets with low speeds
•Cheaper/easier
Kerb separation (Bristol)
•At road level but with buffer
Raised roadside bike path (Leicester)
•At pavement level
•Not part of road
15. Routes in green spaces complement a
cycle-friendly road network
These should supplement direct routes along main
roads. (They are NOT an alternative to them!)
Usable for leisure but also daily journeys.
Must be well maintained.
Good surface.
Well lit.
16. Light traffic at low speeds
On residential roads where separation of
bicycle and motor traffic isn’t possible, reduce
the speed and volume of motor traffic.
Great cycle and walking routes can be created
by closing a rat-run while leaving a cycle gap.
This may require no more than bollards.
20mph Chichester
Play Streets, Bristol
www.bristol.gov.uk
Children playing in their street
(Gouda, Netherlands)
17. People-friendly Town Centres
A good quality urban environment prioritises walking & cycling.
Public spaces which are not dominated by motor traffic
encourage people to spend time there.
Make sure city centres are still open to bikes by -
• Allowing courteous cycling in pedestrianised areas
• Allowing two-way cycling along one-way streets
Removal of traffic in Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Council
New Road, Brighton BEFORE
www.transportxtra.com
New Road, Brighton AFTER
www.transportxtra.com
18. Safe Routes to Schools
Many Sheffield schools offer cycle training but for the
majority of parents, allowing children to ride bikes to school
is a terrifying and unrealistic proposition.
There are so many hazards on
even a short journey.
Percentage of children cycling to
school, European Cyclists’ Federation
Children cycling to school in the
Netherlands, Alternative DFT
There are 3 primary schools within a
1 mile radius of central Hillsborough
Space for Cycling can make Sheffield’s children happier and healthier.
19. How do we know Space for
Cycling works?
In Copenhagen 50% of people commute by bike every day.
But it’s not just the usual suspects in Northern Europe...
•Seville in Spain has increased cycling tenfold in just 6 years with an 80 mile network of well
connected cycle paths.
• New York City has doubled the number of people commuting by bike in just 4 years.
Rush hour in Copenhagen
Wikpedia
New York, USA
www.peopleforbikes.org
Seville, Spain
www.velocity2012.blogspot.com
20. Why is the UK so behind in comparison?
2013 ‘Get Britain Cycling’ Report recommended cycle spending of £10-20 per person per
year.
Sheffield currently spends £1.89 per head on capital funding for cycling.
Cycling still seen as a sport or leisure activity and not perceived as being part of ‘transport’.
21. How does Sheffield compare to other
UK cities?
In January 2013 Norman Baker launched Cycle City Ambition
Grants. £30 million (later upped to £77 million) of funding
ambitious cycle schemes.
Sheffield was the only large city that failed to submit a bid.
Manchester
Leeds
Birmingham
Newcastle
Norwich
Cambridge
Oxford
Bristol
Construction in the
successful cities is underway.
The cycle infrastructure they
are building is at the cutting
edge of what we have seen
in the UK.
But not in Sheffield
22. Benefits etc
So, why is Sheffield lagging behind?
To find the answer, we need to look at how
decisions related to highways are made and
how we can influence them.
23. Every single road in
Sheffield is under the
control of Sheffield City
Council.
(except the M1 motorway)
Central Government can provide funding and design
standards but they do not have any direct control
over specific highways projects in Sheffield.
25. How are local highways decisions made?
Leigh Bramall
Local Councillor for
Southey ward
Every single major road or road alteration scheme goes across his desk & must
be signed off by him.
Such as - Penistone Road Pinch Points Scheme
-A major remodelling of the road to the detriment of the pedestrian
environment & a big missed opportunity to improve the cycling
environment. Ongoing disruption & debris on cycle path.
26. How are local highways decisions made?
Leigh Bramall
Local Councillor for
Southey ward
How can we persuade him to push for more emphasis on walking & cycling
within the Highways Department?
•It’s quite natural that a cycle campaign group will want to improve road
schemes for cyclists. But we are minority and therefore are often ignored.
•We need to make sure the pressure for change comes from multiple sources,
not just Cycle Sheffield. A way to achieve this is for other local councillors get in
touch with him on the behalf of their constituents.
27. But the problem is that once local councillors are in office we have little
leverage over them. Many of them belong to the same party as the Cabinet
Member for Highways & may not want to rock the boat.
28. The council is Labour-dominated, and it’s difficult to get anything other than a template
party response from Labour councillors on cycling issues. There is no incentive for Labour
councillors to push forward on cycling.
They don’t need anything from us and so we have no leverage over them.
29. So, we must look to a group of people who
do need something from us.
Our votes.
Vote for me! Vote for me!
Vote for me! Vote for me!
The 2015 campaign will target local councillor CANDIDATES,
who have more to gain and less at stake than those already in post.
30. We’ll ask candidates to pledge to support a specific improvement in
their ward, one for each of Sheffield’s 28 wards.
Broomhill Ward
Create safe space for cycling
on Crookes Valley road.
Central Ward
Prevent rat running
through Kelham Island.
Manor Castle Ward
Reduce speed on X
street to 20mph
The 28 improvements will be based on
the 6 principles of Space for Cycling.
Tell us what needs improving
in your area!
31. To make an impact, we need a large number of people to contact the candidates in
their ward and ask them to pledge to support the ward improvement.
They will do this using an easy to use website.
Enabling Mass Participation for Maximum Impact
Website allows you to...
-Type in your postcode and find
out who is standing in your
ward.
-View details of the suggested
improvement in your ward.
-See if any candidates in your
ward are supporting it.
- Send a customisable email
asking candidates to support
the improvement.
32. We’ll create a sense of competition amongst candidates by
letting them know when their rivals sign up.
I support Space for Cycling!
Hmmm.... I’d better do so too.
We’ll also invite them to take part in our Big Ride, and bring
their families.
33. But what about MPs?
MPs = part of the long term solution.
But things CANNOT improve without a shift in attitude from
local councillors.
A nation-wide strategy for Space for Cycling is being discussed by CTC and Cyclenation.
It looks likely that it may focus on MPs or MP candidates before or
after the General Election.
Cycle Sheffield is open to tying in with the national campaign,
but that alone would have little effect in Sheffield where..
• Our major obstacles are all LOCAL and within council control.
•MPs have little influence over local highways decision making.
34. Can individual councillors really make
a difference?
Before: Whole width given over to
motor traffic. One way.
After: Raised contraflow cycle track
added. Now two way for bikes.
Thanks to Councillor Ben Curran who responded to Matt’s request for Hillsborough
Bridge to be made two way for bikes, and made it happen!!!!
35. We need your help to increase local
participation!
We need local knowledge and local campaigners to make this city-wide campaign a success.
Can you help us?
We need local volunteers to spread the word in their home wards
We’re looking for local people to join Ward Teams: small groups of people who’ll work
together to build support for Space for Cycling in your local area by..
• Increasing the number of people who contact their candidates using the website
• Increasing the number of people from your ward who join in with our Big Ride
36. Ward Teams
Can you work with other people to...
•Spend half an hour flyering houses on your street?
•Take posters into local shops on your lunch break?
•Put an advert for our Big Ride in your school newsletter or work messageboard?
•Organise a local event?
We want you to have fun and be creative. If you’ve got a great idea for a way to spread
the word then let us know and we will try & help you make it happen.
Ideally we’d like to have a small group of
volunteers in every ward in Sheffield.
37. Timescales and Big Ride dateCampaign Timescale
By W/C 23rd Feb: Ward Teams and S4C core team volunteers recruited
W/C 16th March: Campaign Launch, Website goes live
Thurs 9th April: "Streetfilms: Inspiration For A More Liveable Sheffield‘
Festival of Debate film screening at Union Street Co-Works
Sat 25th April: The BIG RIDE!
Thurs 7th May: Election Day (Local & General)
38. TALK TO EMMA
If you’d like to help us, come and talk to Emma
(if you don’t know what you want to do, that’s fine.
Don’t be shy!)
Emma Metcalfe
Space for Cycling Lead, Cycle Sheffield
craftybikegirl@gmail.com
Talk to us!
Huge thanks to the wonderful London Cycling Campaign and the very dedicated people at
CTC and Cyclenation for their continuing help & inspiration.
TALK TO MATT
Go and talk to Matt about what could be done
in your area to make it more cycle-friendly.
We need you to suggest the improvements
which we’ll ask our local politicians to commit
to.
Matt Turner
Activist and blogger, Cycle Sheffield
matt@cyclesheffield.org.uk
