NATIONAL BIKE WEEK

That this House applauds the success of National Bike Week, clearly showing that the bicycle is popular and that it should have a more central place in transport planning, but is alarmed to see the latest National Cycling Forum publication which states that cycle use in the United Kingdom, overall, has been declining, which is of great concern, given that the Government target is to double cycle use by 2002 and double it again by 2012; therefore agrees fully with the recent report of the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee on the Integrated Transport White Paper which (confirming a MORI poll finding) stated 'we doubt that there will be any increase in cycling until it is made safer' and that 'Funding for Local Transport Plans must be dependent on giving priority to effective schemes to increase cycling'; and therefore calls on the Government to act swiftly on these and other cycling recommendations in the report that the targets for greater cycle use might be met.