Cycling CitizensMK vision & goals

Background of Cycling CitizensMK alliance.

Vision

By 2030, 7% of all journeys in Milton Keynes are by cycle and 50% of all cycle journeys by girls and women.

Goals

1. Work with The Council to establish robust monitoring and reporting process

2. Work with businesses, schools and community groups, to establish for each a playbook of actions to increase cycling among their people

3. Develop and implement a communications strategy to share positive stories about people cycling and mitigate against anti-cycling sentiment.

Manifesto and how it was developed.

How it will be achieved

Members & sponsors contribute more than half the cost of a Cycling Organiser to achieve alliance goals through activities agreed and monitored by a bi-monthly leadership group meeting.

Activities

  • Research
    • 121 meetings with leaders in each member organisation each year.
    • Bike counts each year of cycle parking facilities at school and work .
    • Collect data, partnering with research organisations where appropriate, to identify barriers to cycling. Ensure robust benchmarking from which increases in cycling can be monitored. Gather evidence of best cycle promotion practice from cities across UK and internationally, especially on doubling cycling modal share.
  • Infrastructure
    • Build relationships with power-holders in MK City Council to support more extensive and effective cycling infrastructure (why this matters).
    • Annual listening campaign to identify infrastructure issues
    • Identify and analyse the interests of power holders relating to the issues
    • Plan actions to engage power-holders and get pledges of action for change.
  • Education & celebration
    • Annual assemblies and open evenings in schools, presenting research evidence to promote positive attitudes towards cycling
    • Utility cycling competitions between organisations celebrated in Mayor’s Cycling Awards
    • Best practice workshops
    • Critical mass cycle rides through city centre involving business, education and local government leaders, eg Cycling Santas.
    • Annual Bikeability Olympics for primary school children.
  • Communication
    • Regular posts on social media, press releases after Mayor’s Awards events and before and after critical mass rides. Develop and use language which addresses areas of interest common to the majority of MK residents, e.g. how cycling enables motorists by reducing congestion, helps children’s health.

Leadership roles (each of which will require a member of the Leadership Group to oversee): Research, Education, Events, Communication, Finance, Access (women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities).

Member benefits (see more details):

  • contribution to improving health of staff
  • contribution to achievement of carbon net zero targets
  • contribution to corporate social responsibility agenda
  • opportunities to build relationships across MK community.

Member responsibilities: Payment of annual dues, £500-£5000 per year depending on turnover and number of people; Attendance of quarterly meetings to make strategic decisions, plus short training on concepts and tools of Community Organising.

Challenges

  • Despite MK’s pride in the Redways, levels of cycling have remained low.
  • MK’s current cycle provision doesn’t meet the latest design principles. See p21 of the Department of Transport’s Gear
    Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking    . Most Redways fail the first five standards.
  • The original network ran out in CMK and historic centres Bletchley, Newport, Wolverton – addressing this may require space reallocation.
  • Navigating Redways with underpasses is a challenge and the underpasses suffer from poor maintenance, with flooding and broken glass.
  • Reaching 7% or more of all travel in MK by cycle is key – all of the top cycling cities in the world have achieved that, also 50% of all cyclists are women (Goel et al).
  • The best cycling cities are also good for walking and public transport. We must encourage less car use.
  • Cycle parking in MK is poor – in top cycle cities it is easier to park a cycle close to destinations than to park a car
  • MK is a dispersed city, so creating a culture of cycling is more challenging as less visible.

Contact – Organiser Tom Bulman, cyclingmk@citizensuk.org, tel 07962 838685.

(Photo above shows mural at Stantonbury School, created by local artist John Watson in 1978.)

alliance of diverse community organisations acting together for a thriving, inclusive and fairer Milton Keynes