[Group photo (left to right): Councillor Ellie King, Councillor for Hillfields; Councillor Heather Mack, Deputy Leader of Bristol City Council; Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East; Andy Watt, Principal Engineer at Walk Wheel Cycle Trust; Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport; Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England; Chris Boardman, National Active Travel Commissioner, Active Travel England; Louisa Dale, England Director, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.]
With a new cross-city dedicated cyclepath on its way here in Bath, I thought you might like to see this Press Release from the Department of Transport.
It follows a visit from the Transport Secretary and National Active Travel Commissioner to the Bristol & Bath Railway Path – with Dott e-bikes.
Here it is:
“More than half of short journeys in towns and cities will be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2035 under new national targets announced by the Department for Transport.
The new Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy sets a national target for people to hit the pavement or pedals for 55% of short trips in towns and for 60% of children aged 5 to 16 to travel actively to school by the same year.
The Government is projected to invest over £4.5 billion in active travel over the next five years, and will work with Active Travel England and local authorities to deliver:
5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings connecting homes with schools, high streets and local services will be delivered by 2030.
This will also encourage people to walk or bike to public transport hubs, such as train stations, making them more achievable and in line with the way people travel every day.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:
“Too many people would like to walk, wheel or cycle more often but don’t feel they have safe and convenient options to do so.
“Our new Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy sets out how we will change that, with ambitious targets, record levels of investment and a clear plan to make active travel a practical choice for millions more journeys.
“This is about creating healthier communities, helping households keep more money in their pockets and building a transport network that works better for everyone.”
Published alongside Active Travel England’s Worth Every Step delivery plan, the strategy sets out how investment in active travel can save households money, improve public health, cut congestion, reduce carbon emissions and support local economies.
By getting more people to adopt healthier lifestyles, it would free up around 1.7 million GP appointments every year and lead to 4.4 million fewer sick days.* If households give up a second car in favour of active short trips, it could save families around £1,700 per year on average – that’s more than £17,000 over 10 years.*
National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:
“Every journey made on foot, wheeling or cycling delivers value — to the person making it, to the community around them, and to the economy. It keeps money in our pockets, makes us healthier and happier and boosts our local economy.
“Yet too many of our streets do not yet make those journeys feel safe, easy or inviting. Our Worth Every Step delivery plan will change that. And it starts with where we’ll get the biggest impact: a more active school run and simple zebra crossings to transform local trips.
“It’s time to make the cheapest and healthiest way to travel, the easiest way to travel. When streets work for people, everything else follows.”
The strategy marks a new cross-Government approach to active travel, bringing together transport, health and investment while giving local leaders a greater role in shaping delivery to meet the needs of their communities.
It also includes plans to develop a coherent transport network designed to make active travel a realistic option for more journeys across England.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, said:
“Increasing physical activity plays a key role in improving health. The greatest health gain from physical activity comes from those who do none, starting to do some, and those who do some, increasing their level of activity. Walking, wheeling and cycling are great ways to incorporate physical activity into everyday life, across the life course – to encourage this, we must make routes practical, safe and equitable. Active Travel England’s work is important in delivering this, and it is encouraging to see this set out in Worth Every Step.”
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“I am delighted to support the launch of Worth Every Step and the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. We are working to double the number of School Streets in the West, so I am particularly pleased to see the national focus on greener travel to school.
“The West of England is proud to now be a top-rated regional authority for active travel. Tens of millions of pounds of regional investment will mean almost 100 miles of new and improved routes, empowering more people to be able to walk, wheel, and cycle – which is better for our health and for our planet.
“Active travel is an important part of getting the West moving. Working together, we can connect our schools and homes with jobs and transport hubs while we roll out better buses and more trains and develop our mass transit plans.”
“This is a strong national commitment to invest in making walking and cycling safe, accessible and a realistic choice for everyday journeys, and I welcome the particular focus on ensuring safe journeys to school.”
Excellent to see there is a publicised reminder that exercise is a vital part of keeping healthy. Can’t help wondering about lack of suggestion that motorists should be taught a little more about problems cyclists have on our roads and how their part in improving the environment for cyclists/walkers could go a long way..
One thing I would certainly do to assist and encourage safe cycling would be –
1. Allow e-bikes to be rated at 20 mph instead of just 15. This would mean that in 20mph zones motorists would have no legal right to try and overtake a cyclist doing that speed.
2. Mandate that cyclists MUST wear high viz clothing so that they can be seen (no all-black hoodies !)
3. The existing law that cyclists must ride with lights in dim light or darkness is ENFORCED by the Police.
4. An inexpensive insurance scheme for cyclists is made available.
I feel that the current cycling environment is unfair to both drivers and cyclists. The former because many of them ride around almost invisible, and the latter because the less responsible cyclists get the majority a bad press.
Heidi Alexander – please take note !