Eric Pickles: Cambridge motorists (and shops) suffer due to council's focus on cycling "elite"

I can't fathom why the park and ride car parks aren't all full in Cambridge (it has five - although that might be more now) - maybe it's because people don't want to mix with strangers on the bus - weird really because there's loads of them in the shops.

Cambridge has a huge traffic problem and has been considering a congestion charge - despite the large number of bicycle usage. It does not need any more cars!

He might just have a point about speed bumps. I've recently started to use a child trailer and negotiating speed bumps is a real pain. You have to slow down to a near standstill to avoid giving the occupant a massive jolt.

Surprised he managed to stop going on about wheely bins for long enough to come out with this latest bit of sticking his nose in to other places' business.

Eric Pickles constant stream of idiot statements is a political move. The conservative party is extremely worried about UKIP grabbing voters at the next election so Pickles is drip-feeding nonsense ideas and directives aimed at holding onto the potential UKIP defectors....

Expect a lot more of this rubbish as the next election approaches.

Pickles - you are a fat c**t and a member of THE elite-serving party. BTW, the elite tend to drive Ranger Rovers, not ride bikes!

I thought that's why Cambridge introduced a park and ride scheme at Trumpington to make it more accessible. It also has a train station, a guided busway, small shuttle buses and taxis that can take pedestrians into the city centre (and it's only a 20-25 minute walk from Station Rd up to the Grand Arcade in the centre of the city or slightly longer, probably about 40 mins, to the Grafton Centre). No need for using a car, other than food shopping - all the major supermarkets are located out of the city centre anyway. Cycling doesn't even enter into the debate as they are fitting into an existing structure/system (public transport and a pedestrianised city).

Not everyone will want to ride a bike but, instead of focusing on cars, why doesn't Pickles look to make public transport cheaper and more accessible?

Last time I was in cambridge I used the park and ride. It was heaving with cars and bikes in the town centre. No wonder it seems to generate the most car versus bike stories outside London. If only every other city was similar.

In Liverpool there are so few that venture onto the dangerous commuter routes it's easy for the council to suggest that cycling isn't a priority in the city.

If you cycle to work in Liverpool you have my admiration. Tell your local MP you don't want the mayor 'Big Joe' Anderson's Boris bike scheme - but some decent routes and a central cycle hub.

Big Joe is twinned with Pickles in this week's Private Eye. Oh how apt is that... Apparently bets are on at the Echo that come the photo opportunity to launch the stupid Boris Bike scheme Big Joe might actually break the bike...

Is Pickles anything to do with the DfT? Or is he a jumped up back-bencher in some meaningless role who's eaten too many pies?

If he is the latter, then surely those in the DfT who actually know a thing or two about evidence based transport policy should censure him?

Or does the DfT and central government just not give a sh1t about cycling and active travel, instead "leaving it to the discretion of local authorities"?

Every time he goes after councils for being anti-car, he makes it all the harder for them to do the right thing.

The crunch comes when councils have to consider reallocating space from cars to bikes. E.g. taking away on street car parking and replacing it with proper bike infrastructure. Pickles and those like him make this impossible.

May he choke on a pie. Or, even better, see the light and take up cycling.

The only bit that has an ounce of sense is reassessing some speed humps. There are some near to where I live where even crawling over at 10mph feel like its knocking the suspension int next week, too harsh. Of course when on the bike I enjoy flying past everyone crawling along.

Nothing like a bit of self interest so the fat f*** can park up right in front of Gregs to get his daily yum yum fix.

Cambridge has an abnormally high shop occupancy rate in the city centre and large queues for the expensive car parks. Those two factors tell you how wrong Pickles is.

I think out of town shopping centers and on line shopping is a trend with roots way deeper than "parking charges" Furthermore how can a policy be elite if it targets 50% of the population who rides a bike? That sounds like the exact opposite of elite

Anyone interested in Pickles rise to power and how a man so corrupt and inept has managed to reach such high office should read The Pickle Papers
Its all available online
http://www.1in12.com/publications/archive/thepicklespapers.html
Which is nice.

Although, Counciller Ward is clearly a man of sound mind.

Who elects these idiots?

Can't we launch him at Syria and kill 2 birds with one stone?

Finally. I'm recognised as one of the elite rather than a pleb thank you 'Lord' Pickles

No, I'm snobish, I would rather ride for a chocolade to Paul Young with a steel frame:
http://innercitymobility.blogspot.de/2011/07/london-fuel-supplies.html

Fatty pickles could do well to actually visit Cambridge based couriers Outspoken Delivery who do amazing things for local retailers and assist with deliveries for 3 national delivery companies. These guys have seen the restriction on vehicle movements is an opportunity to grow a business whilst helping promote cycling. Beneficial all round. Go and speak to their clients and see what they say!

OK whiners. You have all got cars. Would you take the Cervelo to Tesco? The moral high ground here is perhaps a little crumbly?