HS2 accused of breaching cycle crossing commitments along high speed route
Government-owned company has back-pedalled on its pledge to cycle-proof the line, say campaigners, locking out cyclists for generations to come
Laura Laker
A sign for a current cycle way along the HS2 route through the Chilterns. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian
The company building the HS2 high speed rail line is accused of watering down commitments on cycle crossings along the route, in a move campaigners say will endanger lives and lock out cycling for generations to come.
The government-owned company, HS2 Ltd, was accused of back-pedalling on its legally-binding assurance that it would “cycle-proof” phase 1 of HS2, from London to the West Midlands, earlier this year by Cycling UK, the national cycling charity. The assurances, which became legally binding when they were incorporated into the High Speed Rail Act, stated HS2 Ltd would have a dialogue with the Cycle Proofing Working Group (CPWG), a government advisory body, with the assumption that they would include high quality design standards.
Members of the CPWG say HS2 Ltd breached that agreement when it adapted poor cycling design standards without consulting them, adding that HS2 Ltd claimed there was not enough money in the £56bn project to cycle proof phase 1.
More of story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/jul/18/hs2-accused-of-breaching-cycle-crossing-commitments-along-high-speed-route
Government-owned company has back-pedalled on its pledge to cycle-proof the line, say campaigners, locking out cyclists for generations to come
Laura Laker
A sign for a current cycle way along the HS2 route through the Chilterns. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian
The company building the HS2 high speed rail line is accused of watering down commitments on cycle crossings along the route, in a move campaigners say will endanger lives and lock out cycling for generations to come.
The government-owned company, HS2 Ltd, was accused of back-pedalling on its legally-binding assurance that it would “cycle-proof” phase 1 of HS2, from London to the West Midlands, earlier this year by Cycling UK, the national cycling charity. The assurances, which became legally binding when they were incorporated into the High Speed Rail Act, stated HS2 Ltd would have a dialogue with the Cycle Proofing Working Group (CPWG), a government advisory body, with the assumption that they would include high quality design standards.
Members of the CPWG say HS2 Ltd breached that agreement when it adapted poor cycling design standards without consulting them, adding that HS2 Ltd claimed there was not enough money in the £56bn project to cycle proof phase 1.
More of story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/jul/18/hs2-accused-of-breaching-cycle-crossing-commitments-along-high-speed-route
