‘Pop-up cycle lane in Horsham is a responsible initiative’

David Attenbrough has helped us to face up to what we have unconsciously done.

He has given us a gift - a chance to recognise the ill side-effects of our lifestyle and now DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

For Horsham to achieve carbon neutral urban transport will take change.

So ‘well done’ WSCC for giving this a try in Horsham - a brave forward-looking move.

And as we evaluate it, let’s garner all the feedback and learning: the positive, the alternative and the negative. The more feedback the better, but I offer a challenge: include suggestions for improvement rather than reactivity slam this responsible initiative.

Imagine your grandchild, in 50 years, was to read a copy of your comment on Facebook or letter to the County Times, WSCC or HDC. Write something that they would feel proud of, something that expresses your commitment to a change that will see benefit for them.

An observation from Edinburgh last month, where they are reallocating road space: Some Danish visitors explained why they were still not willing to use the city bike scheme, despite cycling in their home city: “It is too dangerous to cycle beside the cars and buses. We can cycle safely in Copenhagen because cyclists are separated from motor vehicles.”

There they have found that every Euro they spend on cycle infrastructure has saved them 7 Euros of other costs.

Will climate change be solved if all cars were electric - would that stop the pollution? Answer: No; using a 1,000 or 2,000 kg car to transport a 70kg human will continue to cause many times the pollution of a 15kg bike, whether pedalled or electric.

Further they require less road space while offering improved health, exercise, mental outlook and independence; unlike cars, bikes do not cause road damage - reduced repair costs.

Notice that a country like Holland deliberately adopted a forward looking urban transport policy, allocating a very generous proportion of urban space, not to maximising the number of houses per acre for the profit of the house builder, but creating separated cycle ways, pedestrian footpaths, car, bus and tramway space. That was in the 1970s.

Now all their children can safely cycle or walk to school, football, shopping, friends with no need for parents to drive them to and fro. And parents/adults can cycle to their engagements too - no need for the car as no kids to drop off or collect.

Better for the kids. Better for the parents. Better for the town. Better for the planet. Also, not marginalising those households without a car - one in four in the UK.

Of course some cars, and delivery and works vehicles are essential in our town. Let’s improve life for them. Currently it is severely hampered by avoidable traffic, especially at school start and finish times.

As Chris Boardman points out, 45 per cent of our urban journeys are three mile or less - a comfortable distance to cycle.

Now is the time to plan for this provision; to build it attractively into every future Horsham development. And to explore change in the current road systems. As the pop-up in Albion Way is doing. If we don’t, may we be accused by our children and grandchildren of self-centred, short-sighted, miss-stewardship?

My parents and grandparents fought and won two world wars, and paid off most of the resulting debt - guaranteeing Great Britain as a free country; have I, with my generation, become so self-serving in my consumption of resources and lazy mode of transport, that I jeopardise my own health while leaving behind a dying planet ?

I call upon the better nature of everyone, to constructively respond to the WSCC initiative and honour its intention; to require of HDC that it assemble a long term urban transport plan that moves from 95 per cent car transport to less than 50 per cent, that then gives an attractive and safe space for electric and normal bikes and pedestrians, with ease for delivery and work vehicles.

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