It’s no accident that our Let’s Get Moving campaign is calling for Birmingham City Council to aim for a 10% cycling journey target, and for them to secure £10 per head per year investment in cycling for at least 10 years. These are the recommendations of the All-Party Cycling Group “Get Britain Cycling” report, endorsed by 100 MPs at a Parliamentary Debate on Monday 2nd September.
It was a shame that no Birmingham MPs could attend the debate, although Richard Burden, MP for Northfield, sent us an email supporting the motion and apologising for not being able to attend. The standard of the debate was generally high and it was good that there appeared to be some level of consensus on what is needed to get Britain cycling.
It was great to see so many MPs attend and endorse the motion. However, while it’s nice to see a back-bench debate back the report, what really need is for the government to actually commit to providing this level of funding. This would also have an impact locally, making it easier for Birmingham City Council to secure the funding necessary to make Birmingham a cycling-friendly city, reducing traffic and improving the quality of our air.
