Local elections – ask candidates about cycling

Many towns in England are gearing up to the local elections taking place on 4 May 2023. And if you're in Northern Ireland on 18 May.

If you live in an area with elections coming up, you probably have received leaflets through the door and no doubt transport was one of the topics in there.

You might get candidates or volunteers for political parties knocking on your door to ask you which way you’re voting.

Whatever your political views, we’d encourage you to ask them what their plans are to improve cycling in your area, and especially for children. 

The more people ask about this, the more the political parties will realise it’s an issue that people care about.  

Here at Cycle Sprog HQ, we are keen campaigners for active travel provision for everyone, and particularly for children.

We have written about this in the past, check out our article on why kids cycling to school shouldn’t be rocket science. 

This is actually a good starting point for anyone who’s curious to know what we could do to get more kids cycling to school. 

Asking candidates for their view on cycling may also help you decide who to vote for.

School streets

A School Street is a road outside a school with a temporary restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times. The restriction applies to school traffic and through traffic.

The School Streets website is a very useful resource to find out more about school streets, including a map of current School Streets.

20mph speed limits

A speed limit of 20 mph will reduce the risk of collisions, help people feel safer and benefit people’s physical and mental well-being. A child is 3 times more likely to die if hit by a car on a 30mph road than on a 20mph road.

Wales is introducing a 20mph speed limit on restricted roads in September 2023.

The 20 is plenty campaign website offers lots of useful information about 20mph speed limits and their benefits.

Local issues

If you have a local issue that you feel particularly strongly about; this is your chance. Talk to your local candidate about that dangerous crossing near your kids' school or the lack of cycle lanes to local shops, sport club, or nursery.

Other articles you might be interested in:

• Are Cumbria County Council REALLY doing this to our cycle paths?
• How to start cycling your kids to school
• Kids cycling to school shouldn't be rocket science
• How to get more children cycling safely to your school