In the first talk, Rachel Aldred will discuss the changes that have seen protected cycle tracks open recently along London’s Victoria Embankment and up to the Houses of Parliament. How did this come about? Rachel will describe how an initially unpromising situation, after Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson had been elected for a second term in 2012, was turned around by a loose coalition of advocates, practitioners, policy-makers and others. She will talk about the challenges that remain: despite major shifts in policy, practice and funding, London is still a city of 8 million with a mere 38 miles of protected cycle tracks.
In the second talk, James Woodcock will explore the Propensity to Cycle Tool. The recognition of the case for protected space for cycling has become clearer, but where should we prioritize building it? James will explain how the PCT uses data from the Census for England to estimate which areas and routes have the greatest cycling potential under different scenarios, using an algorithm based on trip distance and hilliness. Results can be seen in terms of numbers of cyclists, health economic benefit, and CO2 reduction. The PCT is an open-source tool funded by the U.K. Department for Transport.

 

Rachel Aldred is a senior lecturer in transport at the University of Westminster. She has published widely on cycling and related matters, and can be found on social media at @RachelAldred and at rachelaldred.org.
James Woodcock
James Woodcock is the lead investigator for the Propensity to Cycle Tool and leads the Public Health Modelling Group in CEDAR at the University of Cambridge.