Author Archives: Richard Shaw

Introducing … Lib Dem Friends of Cycling

Enter the words “lib dem councillor cycling” into a search engine and you’ll find more stories about Lib Dems criticising or being negative towards cycling infrastructure than positive stories about Lib Dem active travel successes. Search for “lib dem cycling policies” and you’ll find little information about our cycling-related policies that is concise or compelling.

Lib Dem Friends of Cycling aims to change that. We are an informal group of party members, ranging from armchair members to seasoned campaigners and elected politicians, who all share a desire for the UK to be a safer and more friendly place for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to get around by bike.

We offer a place to discuss and promote Lib Dem policies in relation to cycling and other forms of active travel, share campaign materials and promote best practice. We support not just leisure cycling but also cycling as transport for work, education, shopping and other everyday activities.

We aim to promote policies and campaigns for safe and inclusive cycling infrastructure for all people who ride bikes, regardless of whether they ride “standard” bicycles, specially adapted bikes, cargo bikes, push bikes or e-bikes.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cycling was seen as a radical, liberating mode of transport for women, who gained greater independent mobility without relying upon, or being chaperoned by, male relatives. Increased road danger from motor vehicles and car-centric planning and social attitudes over the years changed this dramatically and these days cycling in the UK is overwhelmingly “young, male and pale”.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 4 Comments

Opinion: A liberal approach to affordable childcare

Childcare CentreChildcare in the UK is expensive.

In 2011 the OECD reported the UK having the second highest costs of childcare for any OECD country in terms of average family incomes. According to the Daycare Trust, full-time nursery care costs parents an £11,000 per year on average and around £4,000 for care for two school-age children around the start and end of the school day.

Many parents have to choose between leaving work to care for their kids, sacrificing much needed income or continuing in work and struggling with the costs of childcare. If they’re lucky their household earnings are enough that either option doesn’t cause any considerable hardship.

But it’s not the cost of childcare that’s the problem – it’s the way we pay for it.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 6 Comments

Opinion: Renationalising the railways is not the solution – devolution is

David Thorpe recently wrote a Liberal Democrat Voice piece advocating the (piecemeal) renationalisation of the railways and the latest LDV survey found more than 40% of members want the railways fully nationalised. I wish to provide some historical context and offer an alternative solution.

Nationalisation in1948 was the culmination of a process started by the First World War. During the war, the railways were taken over by the government, run-down and eventually consolidated

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 20 Comments
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