The greenest revolution

The victory on the Champs Elysees by Britain’s Mark Cavendish in the final stage of the Tour de France, coupled with the amazing fourth place by Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins seals a brilliant year for British cycling. it was a year that began with the record medals haul in Beijing last summer.

Britain may have been in on the birth of the Penny Farthing and subsequently the bicycle itself, but there has never been a year like this.  There has never been a time like this when cycling amongst “the masses” had gone spoke by spoke with the country’s sporting prowess.

I have mentioned before the 91% increase in cycling in London this decade. But the UK cycle industry is booming too in this age of recession.

My local manufacturer and outlet across the road from Channel 4 News, the family firm of Condor, has just completed work more than doubling its sales space. There are new shops opening in the capital – one at the end of next week in Fitzrovia.

Where once I might meet one other cyclist on my  way to work, I am now in amongst bunches of sixes and tens at the traffic lights waiting to cross London’s Euston road.

But as I have said so often before, whilst NGOs like SUSTRANS have done a huge amount to increase the provision of bike routes, local authorities and government itself are hopelessly behind the curve.

New Labour talked the talk of an “integrated transport system”, very little “riding the ride” has flowed from these aspirations. David Cameron has been both on, and off his bike ( a second one was nicked only last month).

Cyclists are voting with their flanges. It’s time politicians caught up with the greenest revolution of them all.