Sustrans’s pathetic petition

I’ve nothing against petitions as such. I’ve stood in the street with them myself, urging people to sign. But they only work at a local level. Get 400 signatures on a petition asking for a pedestrian crossing and Councillors will take you seriously. Their next four years of expenses may depend on appearing sympathetic to what residents what.

I don’t believe petitions work at a national level. Has any significant social change in British history come about as the result of a petition? I can’t think of one.

So I won’t be signing this:

We, the undersigned, want to be able to choose to cycle for many more of our daily journeys. To do this we need to feel safe when we cycle.

We demand that governments prioritise the creation of environments that encourage and support cycling, specifically this must include cycle paths separated from traffic, as a way of enabling many more women to travel by bike.

This is delusional stuff. Does anyone think that Gordon Brown cares a toss about a petition from Sustrans?

And when it is presented to government, Sustrans will get back a bland letter saying the government is right behind these objectives and fully committed to cycling. Blah blah.

And now here are some pics of a Sustrans-approved cycle path separated from traffic. Does a lonely, filthy, badly maintained environment 'enable many more women to travel by bike'? I don't think so.