Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine laid down a challenge to CALA Homes and the Highways Agency in a recent parliamentary debate about cycling.
Speaking in the 'Get Britain Cycling' debate (Monday 2 Sept) which followed the publication earlier this year of a landmark report from the All Party Cycling Group, Mr Brine also praised Winchester City Council for its successful Cycle Fest events this Summer. The report endorses a target of 10 per cent of all journeys being by bike by 2025 and 25 per cent by 2050.
Speaking in the House of Commons the MP highlighted the need for leadership at local level if cycling numbers are to continue rising and stressed the need for new developments to 'build in' cycling at the planning stage. He highlighted the Barton Farm development as an opportunity for developer CALA Homes to put cycling centre-stage;
"The new national planning policy framework introduced in 2011 sets out clearly that including facilities for cycling and walking should be part of delivering sustainable development, but as we know, too often at present those things are not included, which is a wasted opportunity.
"CALA Homes now has permission for the Barton farm site and as such the developer was an early recipient of a copy of this report, and my challenge today is for them to make us in Winchester proud of the development at Barton farm. Put cycling at the heart of your development, not just in new cycle routes into and through the area, but by linking up with existing cycle connections."
The MP twice challenged cycling Minister Norman Baker MP to look again at the improvements at junction 9 of the M3 which many local cycling group fear will far from improve their route across this busy junction; "We say in our report, the Highways Agency should draw up a programme to remove the barriers to cycling so my other challenge to the Minister and the Highways Agency is to see whether we can look again at junction 9 of the M3 on the edge of my constituency and come up with something that is a compromise for cyclists and for drivers."
The Minister promised to write to Mr Brine on the issue in his speech winding up the debate.
He added; "Our report is about getting Britain cycling and much good stuff is taking place in my constituency and across the country. The VC Venta cycling club in Winchester for-instance, has seen its membership rise by 300% since the Olympics, and the Winchester Cycle Fest this summer, which culminated with the Criterium high-speed cycle race through Winchester on 11 August, was fantastic. We are getting Britain cycling but we must scale it up and this report is part of the blueprint for how we do that."
Steve Brine is a key member of the All Party Group and sat as part of the 'Get Britain Cycling' inquiry earlier this year which received widespread media coverage.
More information...
Read Steve's contribution to yesterday's Get Britain Cycling debate here
You can also watch back the entire debate here or read it via Hansard here
Read extensively about Steve's work on cycling via his dedicated pages