Sustrans is a practical charity, designing and building traffic-free routes for cyclists, walkers and disabled people - all over Britain. Often these are on old railway lines, canal towpaths or unused spaces. Sustrans concentrates on major towns and cities, linking them with the countryside, and providing for commuter travel, cycling to schools and family use.
Routes exist or are in progress in and around Glasgow, Edinburgh, County Durham, West Cumbria, York, Liverpool, Hull, Derby, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Plymouth, East Sussex and many other places. Long distance routes are in progress from Inverness to Dover, across the Pennines, from London to Wales and elsewhere.
Road traffic is forecast by the Department of Transport (who usually underestimate these things!) to double by the year 2025. The Countryside Commission is warning that traffic may treble in country areas. It is obvious to almost everyone except transport planners that this is not acceptable.
Sustrans stands for 'Sustainable Transport' - encouraging transport which does not pollute our world or consume irreplaceable resources. As engineers and designers, Sustrans makes a practical contribution: building a traffic-free network for the many who will choose to cycle or walk for their shorter journeys, as long as the conditions are safe and attractive.
Sustrans have been shortlisted for a £172m grant from the Millenium National Lottery Fund - the receipt of this would enable them to complete a 2,000 mile network of cycle paths through the whole of Great Britain by the Year 2000 and a further 3,000 miles by the year 2004,
Sustrans also asks for donations from the public to help create this traffic-free network. 'With a high quality National Cycle Network', says John Grimshaw, their director, 'we believe we can save a million tonnes of pollutant emissions every year and cut heart disease rates by up to ten per cent.'
Sustrans, 35 King St, Bristol BS1 4DZ (tel 01272 268893).
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