The Times Cycling Campaign

I think that one issue that's important here that wasn't picked up by the Times cycling manifesto is to stop this cycle that we have now of poor planning and road design/management and trying to fix it later on. We should make sure that anything that we do new from now on needs to incorporate cyclists needs and safety without fail. Obviously changes to planning policies, local implementation policies and so on aren't sexy or captivating and you can't proclaim success by cutting a ribbon for a photo op. However, if we have a continuous practice of building and then retrofitting then for some people it will be too late and it's Bow/Kings Cross/Blackfriars all over again.

Am I a) wrong and/or b) is it even possible to have a national standard of policy in design and implementation that would work.?

I said exactly the same thing elsewhere a couple of days ago

I'm sure everyone has their own ideas of ways of improving things and what they would put in their own cycling manifesto and if I could pick one thing that I've not heard much about that I would include it would be....
The proposed cycling commissioner would have to approve every road being built and every junction being redesigned and that every junction being redesigned must include a "Dutch" level of cycle provision whenever possible.
If they have to redesign the junction anyway it's not going to cost much more to lay a few extra kerbstones or red tarmac to segregate cyclists and motorists. That way we wouldn't have to put up with substandard proposals such as the recent example from Liverpool.

There already is a specification, Local Transport Note 2/08 but it needs a bit more work. It might also be an idea if the Commissioner could fine local authorities who re/design roads and junctions poorly.