Tag Archive: active travel

  1. The UK government allocates €360 million to local cycling and walking initiatives

    Comments Off on The UK government allocates €360 million to local cycling and walking initiatives

    Source: Cycling Industry News

    In collaboration with Active Travel England (ATE), the UK government has announced plans to enhance cycling and walking infrastructure in England, with almost £300 million (€360 million) of funding.

    The plans are for the development of 300 miles (482 kilometres) of new walkways and cycle lanes, benefiting millions of people by promoting safer and more accessible active travel options.

    Funding distribution and key initiatives

    The funding package is strategically allocated to various programs:

    • £222.5 million (€267.3 million) for local authorities to develop and implement walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure, alongside community engagement and training initiatives.
    • £30 million (€36 million) for the Bikeability program, offering cycle training to hundreds of thousands of children.
    • £30 million (€36 million) allocated to Sustrans for improving the National Cycle Network, enhancing accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists alike.
    • £8.5 million (€10.2 million) directed to organizations including Cycling UK, Living Streets, and Modeshift to promote active travel within schools and communities.

    Addressing community concerns

    In response to previous controversies surrounding active travel measures, ATE has introduced new guidance to ensure local authorities incorporate public input when designing transport changes. This approach aims to mitigate concerns and foster community support for infrastructure improvements.

    Health, economic, and environmental benefits

    The government projects that this investment will facilitate 30 million additional cycling and walking journeys annually, including over 20 million walk-to-school journeys. These initiatives are anticipated to reduce the number of sick days by 43,000 per year, alleviating pressure on the NHS while promoting healthier lifestyles. Additionally, the economic impact is estimated at £9 million, benefiting local businesses and improving connectivity.

    Government and local authority endorsements

    Chris Boardman, National Active Travel Commissioner, emphasized the transformative potential of the funding: “Making it simple and safe to walk, wheel or cycle to schools, shops and workplaces is one of the most effective actions we can take to improve the nation’s health, economy and get to net zero, all in one. Free exercise, zero emissions and no risk of getting stuck in traffic are benefits already being enjoyed as standard by our European neighbours and it’s time we had the same life-improving choices. This funding will help make our towns, cities and villages happier, healthier and greener places to live.”

    Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood, reinforced the government’s commitment, stating, “Walking and cycling is an affordable way to get around and is hugely beneficial for both mental and physical health. We’re making sure local authorities can deliver high-quality and easily accessible schemes for everyone. Investing in our national cycling and walking infrastructure is a key part of our mission for growth and today’s investment will not only provide better connectivity but boost local businesses, grow local economies and ease pressure on the NHS, helping us deliver our Plan for Change.”

    Greater Manchester’s model for success

    The announcement will be marked by a visit to Greater Manchester, where active travel policies have proven highly successful. Mayor Andy Burnham highlighted the region’s commitment to connecting 95% of residents to high-quality active travel routes, emphasizing Stockport as a model for integrating new developments with sustainable transport.

    Xavier Brice, CEO of Sustrans, welcomed the funding, stating: “As the charity that looks after the National Cycle Network, this funding is a fantastic boost to our work to make the 13,000 miles of routes safer and more accessible for local journeys, whether by foot, cycle, wheelchair or mobility scooter.We can now step-up our work with local communities, many partners and governments across the UK, to make it easier for everyone to walk, wheel or cycle for more journeys, growing local economies, providing easy and healthy access to nature and helping people live well for longer.”

    The ATE remains dedicated to ensuring that new infrastructure projects are implemented efficiently and to high standards, further reinforcing the UK’s commitment to active and sustainable transportation solutions.

  2. UK Government announces €119 million for walking and cycling infrastructure

    Comments Off on UK Government announces €119 million for walking and cycling infrastructure

    Source: Zag Daily, S.Musa

    The British government’s Autumn Budget has allocated funding to improving active travel

    This latest move to facilitate active travel infrastructure has been welcomed by sustainable transport advocates after previous funding was slashed by 75% in 2023. The new investment seeks to reinstate support for walking and cycling, aiming to improve public health and reduce car dependency across the country.

    Jim Densham, the policy manager of charity Cycling UK, has expressed appreciation for the renewed commitment, but also cautioned that it may not be enough to fully meet the UK’s long-term health and sustainability goals. “We’re pleased to see the Chancellor prioritise sustainable transport even despite the country’s difficult financial situation. Today’s announcement will help return us to previous active travel levels but those levels will not be enough if the government wants to achieve its health missions going forward.” Densham told Zag Daily.

    Just before the Budget announcement, Cycling UK joined 17 other organizations in an open letter urging the government to dedicate 10% of the transport budget to active travel, totalling about £2 billion annually. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) supports this recommendation, emphasizing the need for substantial investment to match the active travel benefits seen in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands.

    IPPR Head of Transport Policy Stephen Frost acknowledged the positive impact of the £100 million (€119 million) , “The budget commitment to maintain dedicated funding for active travel into the 2025/26 financial year will provide some funding certainty and, combined with investment in city regions and other local transport projects, will see improvements made across England to how easy it is for people to get around actively.” However he also noted that it falls short of the government’s active travel ambitions, “At £100 million, the dedicated funding falls short of what’s needed to deliver on the government’s ambitions for active travel and the Department for Transport should make increasing this a priority on the conclusion of the review of its capital spending commitments.”

    Simon Munk of London Cycling Campaign shared similar sentiments, welcoming the funding but expressing concerns over the ongoing fuel duty freeze. Munk warned that without more action to curb private car use, issues like pollution and road danger would remain challenging.

    While the funding represents a positive shift, transport advocates continue to call for more comprehensive, long-term support to help build a robust active travel network across the UK.

  3. UK data shows majority want increased funding for walking, cycling, and public transport

    Comments Off on UK data shows majority want increased funding for walking, cycling, and public transport

    British charity Sustrans has published its Walking and Cycling Index 2023, revealing that a majority (56%) of people want to see a shift in investment in road building schemes to funding options for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport

    Sustrans’ Walking and Cycling Index 2023 is the largest independent survey of active travel in the UK. With compelling figures, the charity is calling for proper recognition of the public preference for prioritising active travel and public transport. The results also revealed greater public demand for active travel over driving, with 50% wanting to walk more and 43% wanting to cycle more, and third of people wanting to make greater use of public transport. By comparison, just 15% want to drive more. 24% want to drive less.

    Sustrans noted that these figures can give confidence to any moves taken by the next government in reaching Net Zero targets, and in hitting government targets of 50% of urban journeys to be walked or cycled in the next six years

    Xavier Brice, Chief Executive of Sustrans, said:

    “The evidence shows that people want to have the choice to walk, cycle, and use public transport. Moving forwards isn’t about forcing people out of their cars. It is about making it easy for people to travel how they would actually prefer to, which also improves public health, the economy and our environment.”

    The wider benefits of active travel

    • Sustrans’ data shows that, yearly, active travel benefits the 18 Index city economies by £6.1 billion.
    • And walking and cycling prevents over 21,000 serious long-term health conditions in those same cities.
    • In addition, journeys walked, wheeled or cycled in 2023 prevented 420,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere.

    Xavier Brice continued:

    “The UK is spending record sums on transport but the message from the public is clear. They want a real choice. They don’t want to be locked into driving a car because there are no other options. We’ve seen real improvement in the cities we’ve surveyed over the last 10 years, but there is a long way to go to make active travel work for everyone. Now the opportunity is for government at all levels to listen to what people want and shift future investment to options that benefit us all.”

    What the public wants to see

    The Walking and Cycling Index highlights public support for initiatives focused on making it easier for people to get around their neighbourhoods:

    • 65% support banning vehicles parking on the pavement with only 16% opposing
    • 58% support more cycle paths protected from traffic even if this removes space for cars
    • 50% support the installation of School Streets – closing streets outside schools to cars during drop-off and pick-up times. 24% disagree.

    Dennis, who lives in Manchester, explained her struggle to travel actively:

    “When the children were small I got forced onto the road while they were on the path as there was no space for the wheelchair. I couldn’t see them behind the parked cars. It was very upsetting. Unsafe pavements isolate people in their homes. When I was a manual wheelchair user I couldn’t go anywhere on the pavement. We need to design our neighbourhoods to suit people rather than cars. We should get rid of cars on pavements.”

    Head to Sustrans website to download the Walking and Cycling Index 2023.

Campaign success

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Member profile

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.