General election 2015: which party should cyclists vote for?

We all know bikes offer transport, environmental and health benefits, but with the election upon us, which party is best for the political cyclist?

Ministers set to take to two wheels to beat fuel strike
David Cameron is a keen cyclist Credit: Photo: REX

Though the bicycle has occasionally found its way into the political fray – from the communal white bicycles of the Amsterdam anarchists to Tory cabinet minister Norman Tebbit telling the unemployed to get on their bikes – cycling has never really nailed its political colours to the mast. As an efficient and egalitarian mode of transport, cycling has a strong appeal to the left but the bicycle also embodies values of freedom and self-reliance beloved of the right.

It’s tempting to think there’s such a thing as a cycling vote, but we are small in number and spread out across the country. As political power brokers we’re on a par with the lawnbowls lobby or the beekeeping bloc. Though the ranks of weekend warriors are growing and our top racing cyclists are among the best in the world, Britain has more or less abandoned the bicycle as a serious mode of transport. We sit near the bottom of every international cycling league table.

The bicycle may still symbolise the carefree happiness of childhood but today’s kids rarely ride to school. Outside a handful of cycling hotspots such as inner London, Cambridge and York, getting to work on a bike earns you the dubious moniker of ‘keen cyclist’, which is, as everyone knows, another way of saying ‘not normal’.

Yet, for the last five years, our politicians have been singing the praises of the humble bicycle. As well they should. Cycling is a cheap, safe, non-polluting, pleasurable transport that’s available to all.

If more people rode bikes, the cash-strapped NHS could save a large chunk of the billions it currently spends treating illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and depression that are caused by sedentary lifestyles, while noisy, polluted towns snarled in traffic could breathe again. Cars are great for longer journeys but it’s crazy that nearly 40pc of trips under two miles are made in a car.

"What’s really great is that there’s interest and support across all three main parties," says Sam Jones, campaigns co-ordinator at CTC, the national cycling charity. "A lot has changed in the past five years. Having a coalition with the Liberal Democrats as a strong champion for cycling has really helped.

" All the sporting success, though not necessarily good for promoting cycling as transport, is still getting more people on bikes, even if they’re just Sunday cyclists."

Boris Johnson plans to give police electric bikes that 'can climb stairs'

Boris Johnson stands next to London's hire bikes (PIC: Rex)

The problem is that politicians have been talking up the cycling revolution for decades. But talk is cheap. The only major politician to put cycling at the heart of his agenda is Mayor of London Boris Johnson, chivvied along by the capital’s hardworking cycle campaigners and a growing number of big employers who prefer their workforce to arrive at work in one piece.

Johnson, who’s planning a return to national politics at the general election, will leave London with a fleet of 10,000 hire bikes and two big segregated cycleways currently under construction.

In Edinburgh, a Labour-SNP coalition has presided over big increases in spending on cycling, while Bristol’s independent mayor George Ferguson, a founder member of sustainable-transport charity Sustrans, is building an improved network of bike tracks.

"We’ve let cycling levels drop to such a low rate, it isn’t part of enough people’s lives," says Martin Key, campaigns manager at British Cycling, the national sporting federation. "Unfortunately, we’ve not had the political leadership to shift the agenda. That’s why we want to get big businesses and household names to deliver our message to government."

Overcoming decades of a motor-centric mind-set is, ultimately, a challenge of political persuasion. In Chris Boardman, the Olympic gold medallist, Tour de France stage winner and successful businessman, cycling finally has an advocate who’s widely respected, levelheaded, smart and persuasive. Working parttime at British Cycling, Boardman has applied his approach to winning bike races to the task of bringing mass cycling back to Britain.

The focus has shifted from issues like bike parking, cycle training and legal liability to addressing the one big reason why Britain stopped cycling: for most people, riding a bike on fast, busy roads, jostling for space with lorries and cars, is just not appealing. So the top priority among all cycling organisations is to design cycling back into the road network by providing dedicated, safe space for cycling. And to do this requires money.

"Cycling has been treated by both Conservatives and Labour as a charitable cause paid from hand-outs," says Boardman. What’s needed, he says, is to earmark 5pc of the total transport budget for cycling. It’s a big increase from the present 1pc, but it’s still considerably less than what the Dutch spend on their enviable cycle infrastructure. What's more, the Dutch have been busy since the mid-1970s, building smooth, spacious bike tracks by main roads and keeping through traffic off residential streets.

It’s not just cyclists who benefit. More people on bikes means less congestion on the roads, while pedestrian-friendly policies, such as 20mph zones, benefit everyone.

"All the parties are now committing to a network of high-quality infrastructure for cycling, which is great," says Rosie Downes, campaigns manager at the London Cycling Campaign. "But," she stresses, "if the money’s not there then it’s just not going to happen."

While the Conservatives and Labour back cycling in theory, neither is putting sufficient money on the table ahead of the election. The Conservatives entered the campaign by freezing fuel duty, announcing £11 billion for new roads and £100 million for driverless cars. In his first interview on becoming Labour’s transport minister, Michael Dugher sought to define himself as the motorist’s champion and Labour has tried to outdo the Conservatives on road building.

Even so, there are independent-minded backbench MPs in both main parties who speak up on cycling issues. Among them are Ian Austin and Ben Bradshaw for Labour and Dr Sarah Wollaston and Steve Brine for the Tories. Of the major parties, only the Lib Dems have pledged to implement all the recommendations of the Get Britain Cycling report, including a big increase in funding. The Greens would spend more still, arguing that Dutch-level funding for cycling is ‘a drop in the ocean’ in the £20 billion annual transport budget.

In Copenhagen, six out of ten Danish MPs ride their bikes to the parliament. These are numbers that Adam Coffman, co-ordinator of the All Party Parliamentary Cycle Group, can only dream about. "We need more high-profile cycling MPs," he says. "There’s a long way to go and we’re not moving fast enough. There are only a few constituencies where cycling figures electorally and most MPs around the country don’t get much correspondence from constituents about cycling."

The handful of MPs who regularly speak up for cycling have earned the cycling vote. But what would be the best overall result? With little to separate Labour and the Tories on cycling, it’s the Liberal Democrats and Greens who have made the strongest appeals to cyclists.

It may take another coalition of one kind or another to get cycling onto the next government’s agenda. If the polls are to be believed, that’s just what we’re going to get.

Conservatives

What they say: "Over the past five years, we have more than doubled spending on cycling schemes, ensured that new strategic roads are cycle-proofed and committed to delivering properly funded and targeted investment strategies for cycling and walking for England. We are helping to deliver safer junctions on road networks, traffic-free cycle links and cycle training in schools."

What this means: When he became Tory leader, David Cameron made headlines by riding a bike to work, though there were a few blushes when it was revealed his driver followed in a car. In 2013, Cameron announced a package of cycling funding for eight English cities but most say it’s the Lib Dems who have fought for cycling within the coalition. With the Conservatives promising deep budget cuts if elected, it’s hard to see where money for cycling will come from.

Boris Johnson and his trusty steed

Labour

What they say: "Boosting cycling and walking is a big priority for Labour – it’s good for our transport system, for public health and crucially for our environment. We will set out a clear and distinct, long-term active travel budget to give councils the certainty they need to invest effectively. For our strategic road network, we will commit to spending £250 million on cycling infrastructure, safety and integration. And we will match the government’s commitment to spend £114 million on cycling across the country."

What this means: Labour’s pledge of funding stability would be an improvement over stop-start funding of the past but falls short of Lib Dem and Green promises. Transport spokesman Michael Dugher said when appointed last December that he wanted to champion motorists, which didn’t impress cycling groups, though recent statements are more in line with pro-cycling party policy

Ed Miliband

The Liberal Democrats

What they say: "Getting Britain cycling is a core Liberal Democrat priority. We know that having more people cycling is a win-win situation: wellbeing increases, public health improves, roads are safer and less congested, and the environment benefits. We are the first party that committed to the Get Britain Cycling report’s recommendations. We will give cycling the vital funding it needs of £10 per head to hit the target of 10pc of journeys by bike by 2025, and 25pc by 2050."

What this means: The Lib Dems have long been committed to increasing funding for cycling, embracing all the recommendations of the cross-party Get Britain Cycling report published in 2013. Lib Dem Norman Baker MP, who rides a bike himself, held the cycling portfolio earlier in the coalition government and is credited with fighting for cycling, though he didn’t win all his battles.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg holds a reception at the Cabinet Office for Tour de France volunteers, Tour Makers and staff from organisations like Welcome to Yorkshire, TdF Hub and others ahead of the Grand Départ on 5 July 2014

Clegg over: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg with a Pinarello road bike

The Greens

What they say: ‘We must create a transport system that is socially just and addresses health inequality by prioritising access to services by walking, cycling and public transport. This means reallocating road space, reducing road danger and cleaning up our air to make our towns, cities and villages into more liveable, socially inclusive places.’

What this means: The Greens’ pro-cycling position is long held and unequivocal. There is no doubt that Green candidates get cycling and Greens have been strong advocates for cycling in local government. The party’s position is strong on funding. They would go beyond the £10 per head in cycling investment promised by the Lib Dems. But with only one seat in the last parliament, it’s unlikely that the Greens will hold the balance of power in any future government. Even so, Green MPs guarantee that cycling will be represented in Westminster.

Natalie Bennett, leader of The Green Party

Ukip

What they say: ‘We wish to encourage cycling and improve access and safety for cyclists. We would seek to introduce inter-urban cycle tracks by utilising closed railway lines and, where possible, increase extra cycling lanes. These would be high-quality paved surfaces and lit at night. We would encourage participation in a cycling-proficiency test to ensure an understanding of the rules of the road. Cycling is an enjoyable and efficient way of travelling, and we want to make it as safe and pleasant as possible.’

What this really means: Proclaiming itself to be ‘the party of the motorist’, UKIP made headlines this year when one of its candidates called for cyclists to be banned from the roads and forced to ride on the pavements, ceding priority to pedestrians. The party’s official policy is more moderate, though it lacks specifics on funding and reallocation of road space.

Nigel Farage has accused the Government of "picking a war with middle England" over gay marriage.

Nigel Farage doesn't promote himself as a particularly healthy person

Read more in this month's edition of

, on sale from Wednesday 15th April