Our Manifesto for a Cycle-friendly Ludlow

Vision

• We look forward to a Ludlow where greater use of bikes contributes to a vibrant environment for local businesses, daily life, leisure activities and education.

• Bikes provide an easy, friendly, healthy and inclusive way of making short
  journeys which can be enjoyed by a large percentage of the community.

• Cycling is a great activity for personal health. It will also reduce congestion and pollution, making life easier for those who must drive and park in the town. This will in turn benefit the general health of everyone in the community.

• Ludlow will ideally be a safe and pleasant town for all who go about their everyday lives including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Our group has cycling as its focus, but we believe strongly that the amenity of our local roads and paths should be shared fairly between all road users.

Values

• We will pro-actively encourage people to get about under their own steam – particularly through everyday cycling, but we also relate to pedestrians.

• We will consider the needs and views of all ages and interests .

• We aim to be good partners to organisations and groups who also seek to
  help the life of the town.

• We aim to reduce the town's carbon footprint.
  
  

Method

• Build a cycling community which encourages participation.

• Identify and seek to make changes to the infrastructure that would make cycling safer and more appealing.

• Co-operate with Shropshire County Council in implementing more fully
  its 2001 Ludlow Cycling Plan.

• Link with wider initiatives to help build a sustainable transport structure in the area that will reduce the environmental impact of local travel.

Some Numbers

ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY FIVE (155)

The number of Ludlow C of E Secondary School students and staff who recently completed our questionnaire. Of these only 6 make the daily trip to school by bike, 17 more are “occasionals”, while 137 never cycle to school

FORTY THREE (43)

...cyclists who took part in 2007 Tour de Ludlow

NINETEEN (19)

...bikes donated by local residents to Ludlow Foyer after LCSG appeal in November 2007.

FIFTEEN (15)

... bike parking places in the whole town

FOURTEEN(14)

... bike accidents in Ludlow 1996 – 2004

Of these, 13 involved motor vehicles, 10 involved young people under 16.

The general trend in cycle accidents around the county, including in Ludlow, is downward. So is Ludlow a safe place for the bike, or are there just not many cyclists?

SEVEN (7)

...children at St Laurence's who passed the Cycling Proficiency test in 2007

SIX (6)

...women who participated in LCSG's cycle maintenance workshop

ZERO! (0)

The Carbon Dioxide emission if you cycle compared with 100 gms/km for the most fuel-efficient car. But only 2% of UK journeys use the bike.

Actions for building a Cycling Community

We have heard many interesting and exciting suggestions including those below. Full proposals for consultation will be worked up in our separate Plan which will be ready in Spring 2008. We always welcome new ideas, so please let us have have your thoughts.

PROPOSALS FOR ‘SOFT’ MEASURES

1. Raise the profile of cycling in Ludlow, keep it in the public eye and provide useful information:

• Newsletter (paper/email)

• Press releases

• Leaflets (local facilities, local/beginners/ “cycle&walk” routes etc.)

2. Educate to increase participation and safety:

• Promote cycle proficiency training in schools and for the general public

• Devise ways of raising awareness of cyclists’ needs among all road users

• Help employers to encourage cycling

3. Organise events & projects, for example:

• Cycle rides for different ages and abilities

• Cycle maintenance workshops

• Social activities linked to cycling

• Participation in events, e.g. Ludlow Green Festival, National Bike Week

• “Cycling for Health“ project

4. Facilitate/broker/advise, for example:

• Help organisations to acquire second-hand bikes, e.g. Ludlow Foyer

• Advise on provision of cycle parking

• Provide information for third parties e.g. tourism groups

• Network with other groups and organisations to encourage cycling and include provision of cycling facilities in their future plans

IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE - OUR “HARD” MEASURES (Initial projects)

• Develop, publicise, sign “The Bringewood Loop”, a safe family cycle route from Dinham through Priors and Lady Haltons to the edge of Bringewood and back

• Help Shropshire County Council to upgrade cycle parking in the town

To be followed by further projects, perhaps chosen from the list below.

• Signs in town for National Route 44

• A new safe Bromfield link from North Ludlow

• Improve existing cycleway to the School and Leisure Centre

• Infants' off-road safe loop where young children can be taught to cycle

• Complete the Dark Lane route as a good cycleway to the Eco-Park

• Tour de Ludlow Loop around Ludlow town

• More signed 20mph speed limit zones

• Ludlow to Brimfield route via Ashford Bowdler

• Support recommendations in School Travel Plans for better road crossings etc.

Partnership

AT LCSG, we believe we share a desire with a wide range of organisations to improve daily life in Ludlow. We would like to be partners with organisations who could see value in promoting cycling as an environmentally friendly, healthy and inexpensive form of transport, and who might be willing to explore new initiatives with us. By working together we would be more coherent and achieve more far-reaching goals than on our own.

We hope you feel able to support the vision and values expressed in our Manifesto. Please register your interest with us by contacting savoir-faire@freenet.co.uk