Yesterday’s announcement that HS2 is being delayed to reduce costs has grabbed most of the headlines, but buried in the statement was the news that Ac …

By stwhannah

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Government Slashes Funding For Cycling And Active Travel

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Utterly crazy in light of the climate crisis and need to change our habits.

🙁

Yes, as always I strongly recommend anyone with an interest gets involved in their local active travel campaign group.

Happy to be DM’ed by anyone wanting to get involved in Greater Manchester.

As predictable as all the Lockdown cyclists chucking their bikes back in the shed never to see the light of day again.

Unlike other major infrastructure projects, the level of cuts effectively puts a halt to the modest progress the current administration had made at increasing cycling and walking over the last 10 years.

During this period, local authorities have slowly developed the staff expertise in implementing active travel measures. With the latest cuts, unlike in advanced manufacturing or major projects like HS2, this expert knowledge will not be retained and councils will have to start from scratch when funding returns.

It’s an outstanding own goal, when we’ve got a cheap cost efficient, green sustainable and healthy transport solution, which can help address some of the issues we have with cost of living, environment and health and wellbeing.

But hey ho, so long as those boats are stopped…

I don’t think it’s a simple as that – time and again, surveys have shown that 2/3 of drivers would cycle more if they feel safe doing so, and without the infrastructure that just isn’t going to happen. It’s easy to say, for example, that we aren’t the Netherlands but it’s only like that because they made a choice in the 1970s to build it.

This is just a government that lacks the imagination to think that many journeys are possible without a car if they do something to enable that, and that investing relatively small amounts of money in active travel reaps longer term benefits in terms of health, due to less inactivity and air quality, inequality, as people who don’t have access to a car are less isolated, and the environment.

As predictable as all the Lockdown cyclists chucking their bikes back in the shed never to see the light of day again.

I have relatives in London… hadn’t ridden since childhood… bought bikes in lockdown… still commute on them. New habits sometimes just need a kickstart… the pandemic has been a horrific one… we need to think of more benign ways to get people started… most of which don’t come free… we need more government (national and local) spend on these things, not cuts in the plans we already have.

I have relatives in London… hadn’t ridden since childhood… bought bikes in lockdown… still commute on them.

They’ll be fine

London now has three times as much funding per year for active travel than the rest of England combined.

What we need, stealing the subtitle of 1970s book Small is Beautiful, is economics as if people matter.
And not the usual Goverment of the profit, by the profit, for the profit.

They’ll be fine

Yes they will.

London now has three times as much funding per year for active travel than the rest of England combined.

And it’s working.

Slowing and/or reducing the investment in active travel will only serve to increase the delivery cost if/when any gov decides to really take it seriously.
It’s treasury orthodoxy yet again – it stinks, is unjustified and unjustifiable.
Short term, narrow minded, blinkered thin
king.

I have relatives in London… hadn’t ridden since childhood… bought bikes in lockdown… still commute on them

‘Nearly all’ then. Your relatives certainly aren’t the norm. No point kidding yourself they are.

I can see other budgets being cut. Not going to hit the carbon targets at this rate !

‘Nearly all’ then.

I didn’t say that.

Someone else said (no doubt exaggerating for effect) that “all” the lockdown cyclists have stopped riding, and they haven’t.

Cycling journeys in London are still up approx 25% on pre-pandemic levels IIRC.

Get people to try cycling, create the infrastructure, support the idea as normal… and many people can get the into the habit. Obviously not all, probably not even the majority, but many will stick with it.

If you build it, they will come seems to be the message though; even the temporary pop-up stuff got used loads (not that we had any in Rochdale).

However, it’s hard to see councils building AT infra until the message gets through that bike lanes are part of highways, and that probably means they’re going to have to be funded that way. But as above, unless a lot of people are writing to councillors/MPs/whoever it won’t, which is why I think people need to get involved with their local WalkRide or equivalent group, even if it’s just watching what’s going on and filling in the odd consultation/email.

Got to find the money for all those charter flights to Rwanda from whichever pot Tory voters care the least about.

I have relatives in London… hadn’t ridden since childhood… bought bikes in lockdown… still commute on them

‘Nearly all’ then. Your relatives certainly aren’t the norm. No point kidding yourself they are.

Nobody ever expected all of those lockdown cyclists to continue, but what was expected, and observed since, is that a decent number would carry on riding. I see more cycle commuters on my daily ride into work than pre-Covid, and the numbers of bikes on the weekend on the seafront cycle path is significantly increased from a few years ago. Of course, it would be better if that number was higher again…

Update: Response from the DfT that doesn’t answer the questions I asked added.

None of this is healthy for the keys on my laptop.

‘Tories cut funding’. News?
‘Tories effectively support carbon-heavy, tax-producing, carbon economy’. News?

These people have failed in every way to develop the U.K. and the U.K. economy. And yet they are still the government.

@stwhannah thanks for calling out this ‘good day to bury bad news’ bad news. That some outlets chose to take the headline PR bait and dig no deeper is disappointing.

Edit. On the ‘money for other things’ indeed: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/france-britain-strike-migration-deal-paving-way-for-new-entente/ar-AA18tf4p

Wonder how many bike paths we could have had for 500 million ?

Or that 350 million each and every week the moronic 52% believed ?

If I was the French I’d take the 500 million and buy better boats for the poor souls to cross more safely in.

doesn’t surprise me. whilst this forum will be massively for active travel there are many many voters that are against anything that is perceived to impact thier car journey. the ranting you get on local forums about cycle lanes in my area is ridiculous.

Update: Response from the DfT that doesn’t answer the questions I asked added.

That’s whose teeth I heard grinding at 4:45!!

So frustrating and counter-productive. The manner of the HS2 cuts was an attempt to cover up that all of the Northern plans were not happening! But hey a footballer dissed the Home Secretary.

@prettygreenparrot Aha! I wondered what they were spending their money on this week. I did look around for an announcement to contrast the cut to, and that news wasn’t out yet. Probably just as well, I was really struggling to contain myself while writing this. Very nearly gave it the headline ‘Climate change is small potatoes as small boats take priority over bikes’.

So sad – every day something else this government does/says to make our lives worse.

doesn’t surprise me. whilst this forum will be massively for active travel there are many many voters that are against anything that is perceived to impact thier car journey. the ranting you get on local forums about cycle lanes in my area is ridiculous

Guy I used to ride with, ‘used to’ being the pertinent phrase, refers to any none mtbing cyclist as ‘kerb rats’

A cynic might roll their eyes at the notion of career politicians, who can see the writing on the wall, trying to shore up popular votes by spending on headline grabbing initiatives. Unfortunately, to the cost of work that could bring long term benefits to the broader public.

Last weekend I was out riding with my partner, we met a old friend. This guy used to work in a bicycle coop and rode Paris Breast Paris several times. He had changed to a gravel bike and was riding more off road because of driver behaviour and not feeling safe. When people who have cycled for decades and ridden lots of miles feel intimidated something needs to change.
Cycle lanes are great in urban areas but something needs to happen for other roads. Cars drivers need to understand that they share the roads with cyclist and pedestrians and need drive appropriately. Research by Direct Line using eye tracking found that 22% of drivers didnt notice at cyclists at all.
Cars driven quickly are frightening, impatience and poor driving and punishment passes are all making using the road unpleasent and dangerous.
The majority of drivers can and do behave quite well but the others need to slow down take care and stop playing with their phones.
Sorry if this is a bit ranty but I have been doing more road to avoid driving to go mountain biking, I don’t want my day constantly ruined by dangerous car drivers.

I agree. I had stopped commuting by bike just before covid because the driving in Southampton had got past the point of acceptable. one road I could guarantee if I rode at lunch I would get abuse / close passes. I’m not exaggerating. every time. last time I rode with a few guys from work I mentioned it, and got a hideously close pass going out, and a car slowing down and shouting abuse on the way back!!!! rownhams Road in Southampton if anyone knows it….

In a single week I had 2 cars just pull out in front of me when I was chipping along at around 25mph. one was so close I swerved onto the other carriage. thank f. there was no one coming the other way.

so I gave up. just too aggressive and damgerous. and I am a seasoned commuter in all weather for nearly a decade.

more cycle routes have been built but they are often badly laid out and badly maintained. wet leaves / broken glass etc… make it safer to stay on the road where now car drivers think its even more of their right to get close and be abusive.

so I know its counter thinking, but I think cyclelanes might actually be making it worse for cyclists

I’m with you on poor cycle lanes making it worse for cyclists.

And no cycle infrastructure seems to be built with good transitions. How do you get cycles on and off this infrastructure that is being built? If I cannot get on and off it safely, I’ll not be using it thanks.

@Bruce – Freudian slip?

Its actually Brest 🙂

London now has three times as much funding per year for active travel than the rest of England combined.

Active Travel England’s mandate is to support active travel in cities in England. Obviously the MP for Barnstaple (pop 23,000) isn’t going to see much spending in her area. She is also a councillor at the council, and a Tory under a Tory government.

Meanwhile – how many of elected councils that actually give a shit about urban active travel? How many projects did your council apply for? How resolute are your neighbours about preventing active travel? How many of you wanted a mayor with revenue raising powers, and elected a mayor with a cast iron commitment to public and active transport?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/active-travel-england-framework-document-for-working-with-department-for-transport

Cars drivers need to understand that they share the roads with cyclist and pedestrians and need drive appropriately.

There are a fair few police forces and councils putting the work in here… creating and publishing ads about safe passing distances and cyclists not being pushed into the gutter. The comments they get on social media when they use their adverts are insane… read them and you’ll never feel safe on the roads again. Depressing hostile stuff.

It really does need to change – i.e. investent in infrastructure. I was another that stopped the commute for 6 years – I was wiped out again by a driver, but left with very bad injuries. I didn’t touch the road bikes or roads again for 5 years. Started going out on the road bike again at lunch on quiet routes and away from traffic a couple of years ago. Started commuting to work after the first lockdown, but used the canals. I’ve modified the commute but it’s still 80% off road, and any road is quiet, or has a half decent cycle lane. Road riding is still when it’s quiet.

I’m hoping they don’t put an end to the ride to work scheme .

I’ve not seen anything suggesting that, but there’s a philosophical question about whether spending the money on R2W or on infra is likely to result in more people actually commuting by bike.

Not freudian, I can’t spell. I especially can’t spell French and Welsh!

Really a sad state this country is in when it comes to politics. Not a shred of decency or common sense.

Ah… Rochdale I do a Daily commute From Norden to Rochdale and back and I think they must have spent 1pence on active travel and cycling infrastructure in the last 100 years. There is supposedly a cycle lane on Bury road but you can barely see it and it’s usually blocked by queuing traffic.

Everyday is a battle to work and get home safely, which it really should not be and due to my daily experiences on the roads I will not let my children cycle on the roads round here which is awful and the opposite of what the government and councils should be aiming for. It’s shit that people in power can’t recognise that anyone under 17 will likely have/want to walk, cycle, skateboard, use public transport etc… to get around as it will give them some independence yet barriers seem to keep being put up to stop making this easier meaning that they have to rely on their parents to drive them to places adding to more cars on the roads.

There are so many existing or potential routes that are away from roads that could be made suitable for everyone (by giving them proper surfaces) but they tend to be muddy boggy messes in anything other than hot summers and frozen days, fine on the mountain bike but crappy on a road/commuter bike or walking but they also need safe crossing points over the roads to join these together and make it safer.

If Rochdale is anything to go by then it’s not great Outside of cities for commuting by bike, cycling and other forms of active travel seem to be barely supported, although the other side of the hill in Whitworth/Bacup/Rossendale has had some decent surfaced traffic free routes on disused railways I think thanks to Sustrans.

Whitworth/Bacup/Rossendale has had some decent surfaced traffic free routes on disused railways I think thanks to Sustrans.

Yeah there are some good segments but they aren’t joined up – there is a good route from Ramsbottom through to Accrington and Rawtenstall is good through to Bacup/Whitworth but Rawtenstall is a big obstruction in the middle of both of them with no cycling provision. There is a disused path that could link them and I pointed it out at the time but I think they ran out of funds