Power player: Robert Goodwill MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport.

What have they promised?

They want a continuation of their investment in infrastructure that’s been a “vital part” of their “long term economic plan”.

In 2010 the government was spending £2 per person in the country on supporting cycling, and now that number is at £6 per head. The big promise for the election is that if they win, they’ll up this spending to £10 per head.

The Conservatives say they’ve tripled bike parking spaces at railway stations, made junctions safer and created more segregated cycle paths during their time in government.

They also claim to love the idea of a Dutch-style cycle nation, and have made a huge pot of money available to 8 cities as part of their boringly-named Cycling Ambition Cities Programme.

Do we believe them?

Well, you can’t deny that the funding has gone up. Or can you? Labour reckons the numbers are misleading, and that in real terms “half of councils have had to cut spending on walking and cycling since 2010.”

Whether this government actually made improvements or not, we do believe that the Conservatives would up their spending and see through programmes that this government has started if they won the election.

Whether they’ll manage the £10 per head target though, and whether they’ll give cycling precedence over other methods of transport, we’re not so sure. The government’s Cycling Delivery Plan also comes nowhere near to the suggestions for spending made by the Get Britain Cycling Report (which the Lib Dems are adopting as policy).

What about changes other than money?

Despite their supposed desire for Britain to become a “cycling nation”, the Tories are keeping schtum… there’s no mention of updating the Highway Code or taking a stance on strict liability (that’s where drivers can’t use the “I didn’t see them” defence).

They’re also opposed to the idea of setting a default 20mph speed limit in the UK, because local councils are endowed with the power to implement low-speed areas where they want. And because they’re Conservatives, they like the idea of smaller, less-centralised government. That’s fine if your policies are driven by ideology instead of evidence – but all non-idiots (oh, and this academic study) say that 20mph zones ARE effective as a measure for reducing injuries and deaths, and should be considered as default rather than a quaint opportunities for illustrations of turtles on Islington high streets.

Do they get it?

Again, sort of. This intrepid Mpora reporter went to an event where Robert Goodwill MP made a nice-sounding speech, but during the following debate he only got impassioned when mentioning potholes. They’re a genuine problem for cyclists, sure, but not the only problem.

Manifesto update: One brief mention of cycling – “We want to double the number of journeys made by bicycle and will invest over £200 million to make cycling safer, so we reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year.” That may sound like a lot, but it’s not. Where did that £10 per head figure disappear to, Mr Cameron?