What articles should the Times commission to encourage non-cyclists to support the aims of the campaign?

This is one of seven questions that people were asked at June’s Street Talk. The responses below are unedited and in no particular order. We’d welcome further comments/suggestions – comments will close on 2nd July.

• Look at the side effects of more people cycling such as less traffic and much nicer places in town centres when there is less traffic.

• How much traffic jams are costing to businesses – particularly during the day when women are driving

• The cost benefit of cycling in health, reduction of pollution, congestion, LESS POTHOLES which cost a fortune to repair.

• The benefit to local shops – pedestrians and cyclists use local shops more

• Less accidents by slower speeds and better communities when people are in the streets not in cars

• Diary of a newbie cyclist – challenge readers to take it up and follow their experiences.

• Try not to be too London-centric (although congratulations on catching out the Standard badly with the campaign!).

• How millions of people were able to get through London without cars for the jubilee so encourage a debate on car free Sundays

• The impact of transport costs and lack of choice for the low waged

• Case studies  – go and see some completed schemes, interview local politicians and scheme beneficiaries

• Awards – best cycle-friendly council

• Find out which councils are delivering increases in cycling and how

• What evidence of economic benefits, e.g. new businesses supported by cycling e.g. markets and shops

• Show the huge range of people who cycle now and break the ‘cyclist’ stereotypes

• Run an article on people who don’t cycle here but will in Holland etc and get them to explain why (e.g. my parents who are now lecturing me on how good Amsterdam is)

• To publish statistics of pedestrians as well who are killed/injured by cars – people are very anti-cyclists as they fear them

• To establish that not all cyclists jump red lights or cycle dangerously

• Explain in terms of clear goals….clean air, – kill the school run – social equity!

• Educate people about greater efficiency of bikes in terms of road space used (also lower speed limit = more road capacity = shorter journey times)

• Stories that question what sort of streets people want?  Do they want their kids to play on the street outside their house?

• History of ‘Stop der kindermort”/social change in Holland

• Highlight how a city safe for cycling is a city safe for children and older people and everyone in between

• Get non-cycling celebs to try cycling through central London (or in the suburbs for that matter)

• Get a Dutch embassy rep to ‘reimagine’ various London streets along Dutch standards

• Compare UK cities to other pro-bike places like New York and Sydney: get some international competition going

• The experience of the ‘Beauty and the Bike’ girls in Darlington – teenage girls learning to love getting around independently, cheaply, healthily.

• Mums finding a solution to the school-run nightmare – or wishing they were brave enough /it was safe enough to start the solution themselves

• Articles which set out visions (including pictures of how things might be different) of how our streets could be much better (for everyone) if much less motor-centric and ‘place’ functions given more prominence

• Highlight the fact that only 5% of adults in England get the bare minimum of physical activity needed for health (Health Survey for England 2008) and that walking and cycling for transport are the best evidence-based way to increase physical activity

• Show them how much money they could save (and explain direct/indirect subsidies for other modes) – potential link to moneysavingexpert.com

• “normal” family  cycling using cargo bikes! Appeals to normal people who think bikes aren’t practical – they can be

• Why ‘subjective safety’ should be considered – i.e. it is safe but we should feel comfortable cycling

• Positive emotional persuasion rather than only use of cyclist tragedies e.g. children cycling to schools, childhood obesity, urban inclusion, restoring communities

• Whole family cycling

• Women’s cycling

• Free range kids

• Health stuff