Strategy implementation has exceeded expectations

Cycle flows on off-road cycle routes between 2002 and 2005 increased by 16% in the Lancaster area and 8% over the rest of the county giving a growth of 9% in the county as a whole (based on sites where data is available for four years). Initial targets to double cycle flows by 2006 proved over ambitious and a target of 5% growth by 2008 was selected.

Between 2000/1 and 2005/6, £3 million has been invested in new cycle facilities in the county from the Local Transport Plan. This has been matched with a further £3 million funding from sources such as the lottery and landfill funding, and estimated £1 million from new developments.

Overall the length of off road cycle routes has increased from 107km in 1999 to 204km in March 2006.

National awards have been received for schemes in Lancaster and Chorley.

Improvements to county’s cycling infrastructure in the first Local Transport Plan provide a base from which cycling can be developed in the next plan period.

Since 2000, 170 kilometres of the National Cycle Network have been open, with a further 90km planned. The National Cycle Network provides routes for local journeys in Lancashire an a base from which local cycle networks can be developed.

The Lancashire Cycleway, a challenging 450km cycle tour of the county aimed at the cycle tourism market, has been re-launched with new signs and a new guidebook. Cycle tourism is important in many rural villages in the county, such as Scorton and Slaidburn.

Major progress has been made in Lancaster and Morecambe area. The off road cycle network has increased from 22km to 42km with further increases in progress. The Millennium Bridge has provided cyclists with a direct route into the city centre, avoiding a complicated one street system, giving cyclists priority and a time advantage over other transport users. At peak times in the summer over 1000 cyclists and 2000 pedestrian a day use the Millennium Bridge. Automatic counters suggest that cycle use in the Lancaster area has increased by 18% from 2001 to 2005.

Lancaster’s cycle network has helped contain congestion in the city and improve accessibility for those without a car. The Millennium Bridge for example has given people living in Skerton, an inner city ward on the north side of the river, better access to the city centre. £495,000 European funding is being received over four years to link communities in need with places of employment. Pedal Power, a project to recycle bicycles and sell them onto people on a low income has been set up. The cycle network has helped improve quality of life in the area, by providing cycle routes linking the urban area with the surrounding countryside. The Millennium Bridge has acted as a focus for new development. Including cycle shops, it is estimated that there are around 50 jobs relating to cycling in the Lancaster area. The Cycling Demonstration Town Project should see continuing investment in cycle facilities in the area, leading to further increases in cycle use.

Significant progress has also been made in improving infrastructure for cyclists in Chorley, Hyndburn and Pendle. These improvements should lead to an increase in cycle use in these areas in the next Local Transport Plan period. In Chorley, new developments such as Buckshaw Village and Gillibrands Park have lead to an improvement in cycle infrastructure. In Pendle, the canal towpath has been developed as the basis of an off road cycle network and a major cycle festival has been held each year since 2002. In Hyndburn, the completion of the national cycle route provides a basis from which to develop and promote cycling -the route includes a landmark crossing of a lake on the edge of Accrington Town Centre, which will act as the focus of a regeneration scheme.

In Skelmersdale, a network of radial cycle routes is being developed linking housing areas with the town centre and employment areas. Car ownership is low in the town and cycling is a potential means by which people can access employment and services, whilst at the same time improving their health.

Network reviews have also resulted in improvements made to on-road facilities for cyclists. For example, cycle lanes have been installed on sections of the A6 and A583. 20mph zones have helped to make residential roads safer for cyclists.

In East Lancashire, investment in new cycle routes has assisted the East Lancashire Regional Park’s aim of creating a strategic access network area, contributing towards the concept of the Central Lancashire City Region being a green city with good access to attractive countryside, where it is attractive to live and do business.

After falling by 33% between 1995 and 2000, the number of cycle accidents has remained stable at around 340 cycle injury accidents a year. In the Lancaster area, the number of cycle accidents has been stable, with a slight decrease in serious accidents, suggesting that the growth in cycling numbers has not been at the expense of more cycle injuries and reflecting the fact that cyclists are now being given more priority as conflicts with traffic have been reduced.

With the strong focus on Lancaster over LTP1, other areas of the county have seen less investment in cycling. In particular more needs to be done in the Preston area before cycle use is likely to grow in the city. Many town centres, employment areas and school remain difficult to access by bicycle. There remains a need to improve cycle facilities at problem junctions that act as a barrier to people cycling and along busy main roads. With more resources, both in terms of staff and funding, more could be done to increase cycling levels in the county.

The scale of National Cycle Network in the county has grown since 2000. The cost and difficulty of implementing the National Cycle Network was not fully realised in 2000. Priorities have also changed. Funding from the Remade derelict land project should enable key sections of the network, for example in Rossendale, to be completed in the next Local Transport Plan period.

In retrospect the target set in 2000 was unrealistic both in terms of resources required and the time needed to develop cycle network. The aim now is to complete local cycle networks by 2116, making it safe, attractive and easy to get about in all Lancashire towns by bicycle.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned

Cycling schemes have been developed in partnership to deliver wider benefits to health, education and other social interests/concerns.

As a result of this there have been various joint actions with health, education, commercial and voluntary sectors. For example; Hyndburn Greenway, which is part of national cycle route 6, was carried out in partnership with Sustrans and the Borough Council. There is a joint scheme with the Primary Care Trust, Cycling Projects, a Manchester based cycling charity, Sustrans and the Borough council to promote use of the route, including walking and cycling for health schemes. In Lancaster the Cycling Demonstration Project is carried out in partnership with the City Council and Cycling England, with input from local cycle groups and the Primary Care Trust. The Cycling Demonstration Project includes partnership working with local organisations, for example with the University to promote cycling to University and Pedal Power, a community enterprise to offer cycle training to adults and recycled bicycles. In partnership with Sustrans "Bike it" Officer and the County's school travel plan unit, cycling is being promoted to schools. In Rossendale, the Council is working with Groundwork to develop cycleways.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned with some refinements

As result of taking part in the CTC’s benchmarking project, a cycling action plan was produced in 2002. The benchmarking project helped the county to learn from best practice elsewhere and introduce new ideas into Lancashire. For example visits to places such as Bristol have stressed the importance of good cycle access to town centres in increasing cycle use. A new cycling strategy is being produced to take account the revised transport, sustainability, health and social exclusion objectives and best practice in Lancashire, elsewhere in UK and Europe.

To help inform strategy, questionnaire surveys have been carried out in the county by the University of Central Lancashire and into the demand for off road cycle facilities in conjunction with the Countryside Agency. A questionnaire survey on cycling has also been carried out in Skelmersdale as part of a study on cycling in the town. The survey by the University of Central Lancashire suggested that 38% of the population would like to cycle more. Traffic was the main deterrent. Being outside and keeping fit were the main motivators. People were more likely to start cycling on off road tracks.

Ten out of the twelve Lancashire districts have produced cycle strategies. There are cycle network plans for most urban areas of the county. Some of these need further work.

Consultants have been used to help plan new cycle facilities in a number of areas of the county. For example,in Preston, a review of the main road network and a study of cycling in the University area were carried out. These will help inform further investment decisions.

New cycle design guidelines were published in 2005 and training has been given to highway staff in designing for cyclists. The cycling guidelines have been recognised by Cycling England, Sustrans and CTC as one of the best cycle guidelines available and are being used in other Cycling Demonstration Towns.

A Vulnerable Road User audit has been introduced and will be further refined in the next LTP period. Cycle groups have been consulted on new highway schemes, which has helped to ensure new schemes take into account the needs of cyclists.

The number of automatic cycle counters has been increased from 1 to 24, with a further 10 counters being installed in 2006. Questionnaire surveys of users of cycle facilities have been carried out by Sustrans at 9 sites. Other surveys of cyclists have been carried out on an ad-hoc basis, for example of new facilities.

In 2000 the County was at an early stage in learning how to increase cycling levels. Strategy has been refined in the light of experience both in Lancashire and elsewhere, research into what people living in the county want and changed national objectives, including non-transport aims such as health.

Prior to 2006 District Councils as the County Council’s agents dealt with highway matters in urban areas. Not all districts were equally enthusiastic about promoting cycling, which has resulted in an uneven development of cycling in the county.

Though the design of new schemes has improved during the local transport plan to take into account of the needs of cyclists, there is still, room for improvement. The layout of many new developments has not favoured cyclists. Access to new developments by cyclists has in many case not been properly considered.

To raise standards, it is intended to offer further training to engineers and planners in the next year in designing for cyclists. The Vulnerable Road User audit procedure will be enhanced.

There will be close working with the Elevate Housing Market Renewal Project to ensure that housing renewal areas make cycling more attractive.

A greater use of automatic counters is being made than anticipated in the first local transport plan period. Continuous counters provide a better idea of cycle use throughout the year than manual surveys. There is a need for more cycle counters in the county in order to get a more accurate picture of cycle use and better idea of how it differs between districts. The size of Lancashire, with over 20 town centres, makes it difficult to resource cordon counts of cyclists entering town centres. In future the Department for Transport's annual survey of traffic flows will be used to provide data on on-road cycle flows.

Strategy implemented  successfully

New cycle routes have been created serving Lancaster and Ormskirk stations. Cycle parking has been improved at key transport interchanges, such as Clitheroe, Lancaster and Carnforth railway stations. The number of people making combined rail and bike journeys is increasing.

Strategy implemented broadly as planned

In 2000, there was little promotion of cycling in the county. Now an extensive range of literature promoting cycling in the county is produced. “Lancashire Cycling News” won the award for the best local authority cycling publication in 2005. A website on cycling in Lancashire has been set up.

Cycle events have been held in Pendle, Preston, Lancaster and Ribble Valley. The annual cycle race in Colne Town Centre for example attracts Olympic medallists, as well as bringing people into the town centre in the evening for a community event. A roadshow on cycling has been taken to the town centres, shows and employment sites.

Cycle parking at employment sites has been increased by the Bike Aid scheme.This scheme offers a subsidy towards the installation of new cycle parking and through cycle parking standards imposed on new developments through the planning system.

Safe routes to school schemes include new cycle routes to Broughton High School near Preston, Carnforth High School and Westgate Primary School in Lancaster. Cycle parking has been installed at several schools .Secure cycle parking at Lostock Hall High School has doubled the number of pupils cycling to school.

Surveys indicate that cycling to school has risen. In 2005 2% of primary school children and 4% of secondary children cycled to school compared to 1% and 3% in 2004. At some schools such as Heysham High School and Hutton Grammar School more than 10% of pupils cycle to school.

The number of children receiving cycle training has increased. In Lancaster 440 children received off road cycle training in 2006 compared to 277 in 2000. The Cycle Demonstration Project in Lancaster should see an expansion of cycle training in the city. It will be used to pilot the new national cycling standard in the county.

Cycle clubs have an important role in encouraging children to cycle. In Preston the Ribble Valley Junior Cycling Club attracts a large number of children to its rides, and youth groups use the cycle track at the Sports Arena. Major sports facilities have been developed in Burnley and Preston, helping to encourage young people to develop an interest in cycling and keeping fit.

Joint promotion of cycling has been carried with major employers. For example a map has been produced showing cycle routes to Preston and Chorley Hospitals in partnership with the hospital trust.

Extensive press coverage has also been achieved.

Not only are School Travel Plans and Work Travel Plans being developed but also Personalised Travel Plans will help increase awareness of cycle facilities in Lancaster, Preston and South Ribble.

Though there are examples of schools with high levels of cycling in the county, the overall level is low. Many schools are reluctant to encourage children to cycle to school because of perceived road dangers. Cycle training on road remains low, as schools are reluctant to introduce it. The Building Schools for the Future programme in Burnley and Pendle provides the opportunity to raise cycling numbers there.

There is need for cycle maps of areas, such as Chorley where there is growing cycle network, to capitalise on investment in cycle facilities, and more focused cycle publicity to promote existing infrastructure.