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It's get on your bike time! I'm not referring to another London to Paris bike ride in aid of charity but the recent announcement by Government of a £14m injection into improved bike facilities at railway stations.
As readers will know, I'm a keen advocate of a fully integrated transport policy and am still waiting patiently for some central Government document to emerge.
Meanwhile, in keeping with politicians disjointed thinking, we get drips and drabs appearing from time to time. Mere crumbs on the poor man's table.
The latest will see 10 hubs created at key railway stations across England. Five million pounds will be spent on these with further money invested in creating an additional 10,000 cycle parking spaces. A nice touch is that each hub will include cycle hire and repair facilities. The whole project is due to be completed in two years time.
I must say the choice of railway stations seems a bit haphazard with a heavy bias to the north as well as to the capital. The 10 cycle parking centres will appear in Grimsby, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Scunthorpe, Sheffield and York plus three London railway stations.
What about Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Norwich not to mention Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow?
And, of course, you've got traditional commuter starting points such as Brighton and Winchester. The list goes on.
The aim of the programme according to transport secretary, Lord Adonis is to encourage more people to cycle to the train station rather than taking their car. This would reduce local congestion, lower demand for vehicle parking and encourage a healthier lifestyle. Air pollution would improve and more people would take to the train. All commendable objectives.
I just hope the pilot schemes soon prove a resounding success so that there can be a nationwide roll-out at all major railway stations. Indeed, cyclists should be well served at all railway stations and the rail network encouraged to transport more bicycles, perhaps in a dedicated coach.
Meanwhile, it's good to learn that Lord Adonis appears to have the backing of the Prime Minister for his high-speed rail network plans.
In the highly unlikely event that Labour gets returned to power in the next general election, let's hope the current transport secretary is given full reign to outline an all-embracing vision for future transport in the UK. If not, let's hope the Tories nominate someone equally capable to come up with the solution.
Otherwise, we the electors should tell all the MPs to get on their bikes!
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