Power player: Rupert Read, transport spokesperson and prospective MP, and Caroline Russell, local transport spokesperson and walking and cycling campaigner.

What have they promised?

Fucking loads. They want to rethink how the UK’s infrastructure is designed, not just by making allowances for cyclists (like all the other parties have promised), but making cyclists primary road users. They’re into “re-allocating road-space, reducing road danger and cleaning up our air to make our towns, cities and villages into more liveable, accessible and socially inclusive places”.

Do we believe them?

Yes, we believe that the Green’s really want to completely change how travel works in the UK and we trust if they got a full majority they would attempt to implement it as best they can.

Their plan for where to get the money is to end the current “wasteful and destructive national major roads programme”. We’re not sure how feasible that is, but it sounds nice.

Unfortunately, it’s much more likely that if we see much Green in the next government, it’ll be part of a coalition that will greatly dilute their ambitions. But at least they’ve got some bloody ambitions, right?

What about changes other than money?

Some really great ideas. Because the Greens aren’t obsessed with pleasing everyone, they have some actually different policies, like the introduction of proportional liability (also known as ‘strict liability’). That’s the concept which acknowledges that “the duty of care for one’s actions when using the road should be proportional to the degree of danger that you impose on other road users”, and that “the burden of proof is reversed with motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists, so pedestrian and cyclist casualties are presumed to qualify for civil compensation”.

They also promise that they’d amend the Highway Code so that cyclists are given priority at junctions over motorised traffic.

Do they get it?

YES! Not only would they do the above, but they’d also educate other road users about the changes they made so that everyone would know the deal. They also understand that making the UK more like Holland is about investing in both cycling and public transport, not just one or the other. They are almost certainly the closest chance we have to a two-wheeled utopia. Shame they’ll never get enough votes. Unless…

Manifesto update: A mention of cycling in their manifesto introduction, along with a travel section devoted to celebrating the joys of two wheels, not just because it’s good for the earth but because it’s good for life. Woop woop!