Letter: Transport Behaviour Change Needs To Be Driven

Published on: 1 Mar, 2017
Updated on: 1 Mar, 2017

From Simon Schulz

Electric bikes are a great idea for Guildford.

I am writing from Tokyo, where just 30 minutes ago I was waiting at a pedestrian crossing with a lady carrying two kids and some shopping on an electric bike (cargo/kid compartment at rear, and seat for younger child at front). I think that electric bikes will have a much larger role to play in the future of transport.

You don’t need just to introduce the bikes though, you need to make it more difficult to use a car, as they did in the Netherlands by cutting off many roads to motorised through-traffic – so that if you want to ride, you take the direct route; if you want to pollute, you have to go the long way round. Behavioural change needs to be driven.

Responses to Letter: Transport Behaviour Change Needs To Be Driven

Bibhas Neogi Reply

March 1, 2017 at 5:19 pm

I’m afraid such ideas are totally inapplicable in Guildford as there are no routes bypassing the town centre.

Carrying the entire family on a scooter is a familiar sight in India, for example, but not acceptable in a highly safety concious country like the UK where lives are valued a lot more.

The solution here is for the councils to get real and do the necessary instead of pontificating on the benefits of walking and cycling.
Doug Clare Reply

March 7, 2017 at 9:10 pm

We totally agree that cycling and electric bikes can provide a major part of the solution to Guildford’s problems. Let’s close North Street and the Upper High St to through traffic, let cyclists and pedestrians share footpaths and underpasses, have 20mph limits around all schools and proper segregated cycle lanes along the main roads.

Simple and reasonably inexpensive solutions, as is happening in London build them and people will ride them. Check out http://www.g-bug.org the Guildford Cycle Campaign, sign up and join us to help create a pollution free town centre?
- Bibhas Neogi Reply
  
  March 11, 2017 at 11:58 am
  
  On what basis through traffic would be barred from North Street and Upper High Street? How would through traffic be identified and non-through traffic be permitted to enter these roads?
  
  Guildford roads are generally not wide enough to accommodate segregated cycle lanes but innovative alterations to the network together with new infrastructure could provide a reasonable solution for traffic and could enable creation of cycle lanes and safer pedestrian routes into the town centre.
  
  Investment into upgrading the network is definitely required for Guildford to cope with the current traffic and expected increase in traffic due to new housing under the Local Plans of Guildford and Waverley Councils.
  
  A new east-west route over the tracks and the river is needed to reduce traffic from the town centre and in order to create a pedestrian friendly space, Millbrook (A281), needs to be diverted away or lowered into an underground route.
  
  I believe the councils have not yet produced a workable solution to achieve these, but solutions have been suggested that could fulfil these objectives. Please search for ‘revamp guildford gyratory’ to see what is possible.
Dave Middleton Reply

March 9, 2017 at 8:29 pm

Why should motorists and motorcyclists be penalised?

Unlike cyclists, over the past 100 or so years motorists and motorcyclists have paid vast amounts in tax, over and above the income tax, VAT and other taxes that everyone else pays.

I would expect that motorists and motorcyclists have paid for the right to use the roads many times over.

Our roads infrastructure needs to be improved for all road users, without detriment to any particular group of users.

Yet again, an inappropriate comparison with the Netherlands, where there has been a wholly different attitude and culture towards cycling and where the terrain is much better suited to pedal power, unlike our beloved and rather hilly country.