CILT calls for better road network

A boost to the UK cycling network would enable cyclists, motorists and freight drivers to move around more successfully, but it would also increase safety on the roads. This is the opinion of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), which has announced its support of new government plans to improve the road networks. Under the scheme, eight cities will share a £77 million pot to improve existing cycling routes and build new ones. A further £17 million has been earmarked to create a better cycle network around four national parks. Combined with local contributions, the total amount of additional funding for cycling will be £148 million between now and 2015. “This government wants to make it easier and safer for people who already cycle as well as encouraging far more people to take it up and business, local government, developers, road users and the transport sector all have a role to play in helping to achieve this,” prime minister David Cameron said. The CILT, however, has said that while the plans are an excellent move, the government should go further to ensure all road users’ needs are met. This would have the benefit of improving safety, cutting commuting time and enhancing the national supply chain. It wants a new road plan for urban and rural areas that accounts for the needs of trucks and buses. With a new road system, all users, including freight and cyclists, can co-exist safely. "Our generation inherits an urban road network largely designed for horse-drawn vehicles, or at best slow post-war era cars," reasons CILT chief executive Steve Agg. "Successful projects elsewhere in Europe point the way for a much more cohesive network, as friendly to the cyclist as it is accessible to the buses that get people to work – and the freight operators that keep our towns and cities' stores stocked."