Government needs to ‘put its money where its mouth is,’ says British Cycling

Government needs to ‘put its money where its mouth is,’ says British Cycling

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In the second part of a series discussing the government’s Cycling Delivery Plan in detail, we cover the crucial matter of funding.

At present the government’s Cycling Delivery Plan does not contain any concrete and sustained funding for cycling. The aspiration to get to £10 per head per year is welcome but without any detail of how we are going to get there it is difficult to be convinced that anything will change.

The prime minister has called for a revolution - that means big change - as Chris Boardman said, now is the opportunity for ministers to ‘put their money where their mouth is’

The Cycling Delivery Plan does recognise the need to reach the level of £10 per head per year. However the language used is non-committal, only an ‘aspiration’ to ‘explore’ if this level of funding could be achieved by 2020-21.

If the prime minister’s ambition is to see this country match the levels of cycling seen in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands then we need to start investing in desirable and convenient cycle lanes which are attractive to all ages and backgrounds. This costs money, starting at a minimum of £10 per head per year over several decades.

The government argue that they have made a good start in reaching the magical £10 per head and state that they are now spending about £5.

This includes the funding announced last year by the prime minister for eight cities, funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and funding secured by local politicians. Most significantly, it also includes the huge chunk of funding secured by the Mayor of London to deliver his cycle superhighways so skewing the money to the capital.

This higher level of spend is welcome but these short-term funding pots are not the same as a sustained budget-line for cycling. The government has long-term funding plans for the road network and the rail but nothing is in place for cycling. Only a strategic focus by local and national focus can break down the barriers to a new generation of cyclists.

The way that local authority transport projects are funded has changed - what this now needs is a new priority for cycling. New local quangos have been set up (Local Economic Partnerships) to deliver projects in partnership with local authorities.

They will have a big say on what happens to around £6 billion of funding to promote local growth. Given the low base that cycling is starting from, in many parts of the country it will be very difficult for cycling to be prioritised purely on the basis of promoting economic growth. Cycling does deliver economic benefits but its biggest benefits come through public health, cutting congestion and creating a sense of place.

It is vital that the government provides leadership to quickly reach £10 per head. Funding could come from the Active Travel Consortium, the Highways Maintenance fund and the Roads Investment Strategy. A new priority for cycling in these funds would allow local authorities to plan strategically for cycling.

The plan also encourages local authorities to sign up to partnerships with departments in return for priority access to funding. This has the opportunity to deliver higher levels of funding in local areas and British Cycling has encouraged its local partners to take part.

Theme three and four of the report covers ‘infrastructure and planning’ and ‘safety and perceptions of safety’ which we will look at next week.

To respond to the plan email walking.cycling@dft.gsi.gov.uk before 13 November.

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