Goals for cycling

The plan wants the climate goals to be linked with concrete, quantified proposals through an emissions budget, and ambitious environmental goals to be followed up with sharp legislation and practical work. It also wants societal planning that breaks car dependency. A quantified cycling target is an application of the same logic: goals that give authorities something to steer toward.

• quantified climate goalsdecisive»Vi vill att regeringen arbetar med en utsläppsbudget som knyter ihop« (party programme ↗)“We want the government to work with an emissions budget that ties together”
• ambitious monitored goals»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are followed up with sharp legislation and practical work.”
• break car dependency»Vi vill se en samhällsplanering som så långt som möjligt undviker« (party programme ↗)“We want to see societal planning that as far as possible avoids”
• sustainable travel throughout the country»För att såväl öka alla människors rörelsefrihet som för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser så behöver även kollektivtrafiken byggas ut och göras billigare och mer tillgänglig i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To both increase everyone's freedom of movement and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, public transport also needs to be expanded and made cheaper and more accessible throughout the country.”

The plan says nothing about a specific cycling target. The closest principle is that climate-smart travel should be the cheaper alternative and that climate perspective should be included in all decisions, which speaks in favour of a guiding target that gives authorities better conditions. The position thus rests on general principles, not on an explicit commitment.

• climate-smart traveldecisive»Klimatsmart resande som det billigare alternativet.« (party programme ↗)“Climate-smart travel as the cheaper alternative.”
• climate perspective in all decisions»Klimatperspektiv på alla nivåer av beslut och beslutsfattande.« (party programme ↗)“Climate perspective at all levels of decision-making.”
• better travel opportunities throughout the country»Ökade möjligheter för människor att resa kollektivt i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Increased opportunities for people to travel by public transport throughout the country.”

The plan wants to significantly increase walking and cycling traffic and reduce car use, and generally favours legally binding and clear targets that guide policy towards climate benefit. A quantified cycling target is a tool for that commitment and would give authorities clearer guidance. The plan does not, however, require a specific cycling target, so the position is derived from the commitment to increased cycling.

• increased share of cyclingdecisive»minska bilåkandet i storstäderna och främja gång-, cykel- och kollektivtrafik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“reduce car use in major cities and promote walking, cycling and public transport.”
• expanded cycling infrastructure»Vi vill bygga ut kollektivtrafiken kraftigt, göra den billigare och mer tillgänglig, och skapa fler gång- och cykelvägar i både stad och landsbygd.« (party programme ↗)“We want to expand public transport significantly, make it cheaper and more accessible, and create more walking and cycling paths in both city and countryside.”
• clear binding targets»Vi vill därför se juridiskt bindande klimatmål som ligger i linje med forskningen.« (party programme ↗)“We therefore want to see legally binding climate targets that are in line with research.”
• reduced car dominance»Staden ska inte domineras av bilar.« (party programme ↗)“Cities should not be dominated by cars.”

flags: citat_migrerat

The plan wants cycling to become smoother and more attractive and wants the countryside to get better access to cycle paths, and highlights the significance of outdoor life and sport for public health. A quantified cycling goal is a means for exactly that direction. The plan however says nothing about target-steering as such and warns against symbolic politics, which is why certainty is low.

• more attractive cyclingdecisive»Utsläppsfria transporter, cyklar, elbilar och kollektivtrafik ska bli smidigare och attraktivare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Emission-free transport, bicycles, electric cars and public transport shall become smoother and more attractive.”
• more cycle infrastructure»Landsbygden behöver bättre vägar och bättre tillgång till cykelvägar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The countryside needs better roads and better access to cycle paths.”
• public health through movement»Idrotten, friluftslivets och kulturens betydelse för folkhälsan är odiskutabel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sport, outdoor life and culture's significance for public health is indisputable.”
• effective measures over symbolic politics»Ett ledarskap som prioriterar effektiva åtgärder framför symbolpolitik eller passivitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A leadership that prioritises effective measures over symbolic politics or passivity.”

The plan does not address steering targets for cycling, but establishes that cycling is an effective and environment-friendly form of transport and that expansion of cycle paths shall be facilitated. A quantified target is a means for precisely that ambition and does not conflict with any commitment in the documents. The plan also wants to give public and utility transport greater space at the expense of private motoring in cities with environmental problems.

• cycling as transportdecisive»Cykling är ett effektivt och miljövänligt transportslag för främst kortare resor.« (party programme ↗)“Cycling is an effective and environment-friendly form of transport, mainly for shorter journeys.”
• facilitate cycling»Utbyggnad av cykelvägar ska underlättas.« (party programme ↗)“Expansion of cycle paths shall be facilitated.”
• reduced private motoring in cities»I städer med trängsel- eller miljöproblem bör nyttotrafik och kollektivtrafik ges större utrymme på bekostnad av privatbilism.« (party programme ↗)“In cities with congestion or environmental problems, utility transport and public transport should be given greater space at the expense of private motoring.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan lifts the bicycle as an important daily transport mode and accepts quantified national goals in traffic policy, for example the vision zero for deaths and serious injuries. A separate goal for increased cycling is such a policy instrument for effective, safe and environmentally friendly communications. The documents say nothing about precisely a cycling goal, so the uncertainty is great.

• the bicycle as a transport modedecisive»Cykeln är för många ett viktigt och dagligt transportmedel.« (party programme ↗)“The bicycle is for many an important and daily transport mode.”
• national traffic goals»Det är viktigt med en nollvision för dödsfall och svåra skador i trafiken.« (party programme ↗)“It is important with a vision zero for deaths and serious injuries in traffic.”
• environmentally friendly communications»Politiken ska lägga grunden för effektiva, säkra och miljövänliga kommunikationer« (party programme ↗)“Policy shall lay the foundation for effective, safe and environmentally friendly communications”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan contains no cycling target and no sectoral targets of this kind. The closest principle is that policy shall prioritise and make choices about what not to do, and that transport policy shall focus on upgrading existing infrastructure rather than new prestige projects; the party programme also warns against climate policy that becomes mere symbolism. A new quantified cycling target is therefore not supported by the plan, but the basis is weak.

• no to symbolismdecisive»Klimatpolitiken får aldrig reduceras till dyrbar symbolpolitik eller snäv klimatnationalism.« (party programme ↗)“Climate policy must never be reduced to expensive symbolism or narrow climate nationalism.”
• existing infrastructure first»I stället för dyra och olönsamma skrytbyggen som höghastighetståg kommer Moderaterna rusta upp den järnväg som redan finns, så att tågen kan gå i tid och du slipper stå och frysa på perrongen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Instead of expensive and unprofitable showpiece projects such as high-speed rail, the Moderate Party will upgrade the railway infrastructure that already exists, so that trains run on time and you don't have to stand and freeze on the platform.”
• prioritise and choose»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort« (party programme ↗)“Policy has an important task to prioritise and choose not to do things”

The plan sets no cycle target but states that infrastructure policy should be based on ordinary people's needs and everyday life and that resources should go to upgrading roads and railways throughout the country. A new quantified national cycle target appears against that background as the type of big-city-focused symbolic policy the plan is critical of. However, the position is derived from general priorities.

• needs-driven infrastructuredecisive»anser att infrastrukturpolitiken i högre grad bör utgå från vanliga människors behov och vardag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“believes that infrastructure policy should to a greater extent be based on ordinary people's needs and everyday life”
• against big-city symbolic politics»en aggressiv och storstadsfokuserad symbolpolitik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“aggressive and big-city-focused symbolic politics”
• prioritise roads and railways»Rusta upp väg- och järnvägsnätet i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade the road and rail network throughout the country”
• effective climate policy»Bedriva en effektiv klimatpolitik med ett tydligt globalt perspektiv« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conduct effective climate policy with a clear global perspective”