Suffolk’s  Annual Public Health report  2013  – Moving forward? concerns itself with travel and health and recommends a  move to ‘active travel’  – and a wholesale transfer of many journeys or parts of journeys to the bicycle or foot.

In supporting the report, Lib Dem leader   Cllr David Wood urged the administration to look again at its public transport policy. “We need to see  see buses in rural areas in the evening on Sundays and Public Holidays once more, enabling rural Suffolk to be open again for business and not totally reliant on the car,” he said.

He pointed out that vast areas of Suffolk’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty  prime land for cycling an wakling, cannot be accessed by any other means than car – a frankly ludicrous anomaly!

Lib Dem spokesman for Transport, Cllr Caroline Page, is a committed cyclist, pedestrian and bus user. She was also enthusiastic about this report,  but has reservations about its chance of implementation.

“Sadly there seem to be many councillors who are converted to active travel  in theory but not at all in practice.  At the full council debate on the subject last Thursday, I heard a stream of excuses, exculpations and explanations from  individuals who are compensated by the Council Tax payer at 44p per mile to remain in their cars at no cost to themselves –  and so don’t have to make the same choices as others they represent.

While there remains such a clear gap between what  councillors think is a good idea for others and what they are prepared to do themselves, we  are not going to progress as far or fast as we would like,” she says.

On a happier note, it looks as if the Suffolk train services are becoming more proactive on the subject of cycles.  After introducing many more cycle parking spaces and introducing ‘Boris bikes’ on its routes,  Greater Anglia  has now formally launched its new cycle strategy with a consultation. You can find further details and a link on Caroline Page’s blog