Forum Topic

cycling vouchers

Unbelieveable! With councils cutting back on childrens services and other front lines services because of goverment cuts and the councils going to have to cut millions from their budgets this council is yet again WASTING money on cyclists by issuing £40 vouchers, Cyclists don't pay a penney in road tax and 80% of them break every rule in the book, cycling on pavements going though red light, wrong way up one way streets etc, yet the council, who is always KIDDING us that they have no money, spend money on cyclists, as if it has all the money in the world! It would not be too bad if there was not a recession,but the country is Supposed to be in a bad way, I'll believe it when they stop wasting money

John Charles Todd ● 4879d6 Comments

Tracey,I am keen on cycle tracks. I went to a symposium in central London just before Christmas hosted by Urbed and Ealing with 250 delegates entitled "Getting to Copenhagen".There one of our senior officers Pat Hayes outlined the many benefits of modal shift from car to cycle transport systems. Strange how he never mentioned it to his officers because here in West Ealing transport officers are slow to embrace a cycle track proposal. This proposal that could have been encorporated in the 1c Corridor improvements would remove many of the most vulnerable/young/read all? cyclists from the Uxbridge Road to a smooth safe dedicated track. This is Route 41 but in signs only just waiting to be properly engineered now. But where is the drive/enthusiasm/will/vision? Oh dear.

Arthur Breens ● 4868d

I dont think investing money into cycling is a bad thing, but whatever has been spent or is going to be spent on this scheme could have been put into improved cycle routes, which would have saved on hospital treatment and ambulances, having grown up with Gary Mason the former heavyweight boxer who was killed on his bike, and had one of my sons run over twice on his, and his fiance once, all three times in cycle lanes, I think its time we looked at places like Germany and the Netherlands and took a bit of initiative from them, then maybe the cyclists would stay off of the pavements.

Tracey Mehdizadeh ● 4870d

no faith because they could well repeat history.........is what I should have said. The labour party have this terrible pattern of overspending.

George Knox ● 4878d

"Mr Pickles: I understand that the right hon. Gentleman has form on council tax. When he was deputy leader of Ealing council, it increased by 65% in one year only, although we should not be surprised, because council tax has doubled under Labour." See Hansard 30 Apr 2012 : Column 1219All very well for Jingles to complain about the cutbacks imposed by the Coalition. His party brough a great deal of this terrible recession upon us and we can have no faith in the local Labour Administration let alone Ed Balls that they will all repeat history if they win the next elections.Pickles was referring to Hilary Benn - an Ealing Councillor for 20 years. Why did CT rise so much? Those with long memories can remind us. I think it was something to do with a loan from some japanese undertaking, but please correct me if I am wrong.

George Knox ● 4878d

If Ealing Council are fully funding this then I would like to know the cost and what impact it has had on services to the far more vulnerable in our community.

Nigel Brooks ● 4878d

This is a kick in the teeth for the elderly imo.Hundreds of them in the borough of Ealing will be shivering this Christmas because of the cost of heating,some will be isolated and eating alone on Christmas day and our lycra gladiators on their £1000 bikes will be paid public money to ride on our pavements and possibly knock us over whilst waving a fist at us for not getting out of their divine way.How can the council be so insensitive,particularly at this time of year.Better to spend the money on food hampers for the elderly.It is supposed to be a left wing council is it not.I can't believe how crass this initiative is.

Keith Iddon ● 4878d