There is good news as well as bad. The bad news is that the word ‘cycling’ does not appear in either the Labour Party manifesto for the 2024 General Election nor the Conservative Party manifesto. It does appear twice in the Liberal Democrat manifesto and three times in the Green Party manifesto. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t appear at all in the Reform Party manifesto. The SNP have yet to publish their manifesto. So compared to the last election in 2019, the two main parties – the ones that have a realistic prospect of forming the next government – have, it would seem, abandoned us altogether!
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Green | Reform / UKIP / Brexit | |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
But all is not lost. We need, perhaps, to widen our search. I’ve also searched the 2024 manifestos for the words ‘cycle’, / ‘cycleways’ and ‘cyclist’ and the expression ‘active travel’. Here are those results:
| 2024 | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Green | Reform / UKIP / Brexit |
| ‘cycle’ / ‘cycleways’ | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| ‘cycling’ | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| ‘cyclist’ | 3 (but…) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ‘active travel’ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Full details of what the manifestos say is below but before we get to that, here’s a timely reminder from Cycling UK as to why cycling is a force of good for society:
The Conservative Party
“We will work with Active Travel England to make it safer for people to walk or cycle, including projects like ensuring safe walking routes to schools and measures to protect pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Where new schemes are introduced, we will ensure they have local support first. While we back responsible cyclists, we will bring penalties for the rare instances where dangerous cyclists kill or injure into line with those for other road users.“
The Labour Party
“Cars remain by far the most popular form of transport. Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion. We will fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament, funded by deferring the A27 bypass, which is poor value for money.”
“Under the Conservatives, transport services have remained fragmented and inefficient with companies and sectors failing to speak to and plan with each other. Labour will give mayors the power to create unified and integrated transport systems, allowing for more seamless journeys, and to promote active travel networks. Labour will also develop a long-term strategy for transport, ensuring transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time. Labour will secure the UK aviation industry’s long-term future, including through promoting sustainable aviation fuels, and encouraging airspace modernisation.”
The Liberal Democratic Party
“By investing in electric vehicles and clean public transport, as well as encouraging walking and cycling, Liberal Democrats will enhance local, regional and national connectivity while boosting the economy, protecting the environment and improving public health.”
“We will… transform how people travel by creating new cycling and walking networks with a new nationwide active travel strategy.“
“We will…give more of the roads budget to local councils to maintain existing roads, pavements and cycleways, including repairing potholes.”
“We will… take the action needed now to achieve net zero by 2045, including… making it cheaper and easier to switch to electric vehicles, restoring the requirement that every new car and small van sold from 2030 is zero-emission, investing in active travel and public transport, electrifying Britain’s railways, and reducing the climate impact of flying…”
The Green Party
“Greens will support local councils to provide good quality, affordable social housing in places where people live and work. And we will ensure large scale developments are always supported by new infrastructure such as GP surgeries, bus services, cycling and walking networks, and extra places at nurseries and schools. All new developments should be accompanied by the extra investment needed to enhance local services too, and so that residents don’t have to rely on cars to live a full life.”
“Green MPs will also campaign to ensure that everybody lives within 15 minutes’ walking distance of a nature-rich greenspace. We will ensure car-free access to the National Parks with new cycling, walking, wheeling and bus links.”
“Walking and cycling aren’t just good for reducing carbon emissions and air pollution – they help make us all happier and healthier.
Elected Greens will:
• Push to spend £2.5bn a year on new cycleways and footpaths, built using sustainable materials.
• Reimagine how we use streets in residential areas to reduce traffic and open them up for use by the community.
• Adopt Active Travel England’s objective for 50% of trips in England’s towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030.”
“Green MPs will push to… invest an additional £19bn over five years to improve public transport, support electrification and invest in new cycleways and footpaths; this includes the reallocation of funding earmarked for road building… [and] ensure £2.5bn a year is invested in new cycleways and footpaths.”
“Elected Greens will push for… a cross-governmental approach to health. There are a range of interventions across this Manifesto that support healthier lives, from improved food labelling, free school meals, active travel and local government investment in sport.”
Reform / ‘Kippers / Brexit Bunch
There are no mentions for my chosen words but there are predictable references to stopping the ‘war on motorists’ and scrapping net zero. PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR THESE CLOWNS. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF GIVING YOUR SUPPORT TO FARAGE AND HIS CRONIES, I SUGGEST YOU WATCH THIS FIRST:
Read the full rag of nonsense here.
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Categories: Cycling
