What do the Holyrood election results mean for active travel?
The Holyrood elections last week delivered a shift in Scotland’s political landscape, with almost half of all MSPs newly elected.
The SNP won the most seats (58) but fell seven short of the number required for a majority. Party leader John Swinney has committed to talks with every party except Reform (who came joint second with Labour in terms of number of seats won), though the option of running a minority government remains firmly on the table.
SNP commitments
The SNP’s manifesto included several pledges directly relevant to active travel, under the banner ‘A sustainable Scotland supports sustainable travel’. Their commitments include:
- Establishing a £2.5 million bike repair scheme, offering £75 vouchers to help people get their bikes road ready.
- Supporting efforts to retain Edinburgh’s Roseburn corridor for walking and cycling, and bringing the former Powderhall railway line into use as an active travel route into Edinburgh.
- Working with partners such as the Scottish Outdoor Recreation Alliance (of which cycling UK is a member) to develop a Scottish Paths Fund.
- Bringing Transport Scotland back into the Scottish Government.
- Creating a ‘Better Surfaces’ fund to help local authorities repair potholes.
Funding
The previous SNP government in partnership with the Green Party committed to 10% of the transport budget being spent on active travel. Currently, we are less than half the way there. Cycling UK will be working hard with the new government to see where active travel funding could be increased.
Despite positive words around active travel, it can’t be ignored that Transport Scotland has cut revenue funding by 60% on the People and Place Programme. This will hit community walking and cycling projects hard.
What does Cycling UK want to see from the next government?
Prior to the election Cycling UK identified the following priorities for the next government:
- Investment in active travel
- Safer roads for everyone
- More children cycling
- Paths to green spaces for public health
- Greater transport choice and connectivity for all
The SNP’s interest in sustainable transport could prove helpful for Cycling UK engaging with them. Their proposed cycle repair scheme could support creating greater transport choice for all, especially for people struggling with the current cost-of-living crisis who may not be able to afford to repair their bike to make it roadworthy.
The SNP’s proposed ‘Better Surfaces Fund’ could ultimately help to improve road safety for cyclists, and we will be keen to engage with them to ensure that the needs of people who cycle are well understood in this regard.
Cycling UK will be keen to engage with the new government over the Scottish Paths Fund which will create an excellent opportunity to improve access to green spaces, which is proven to be very beneficial to health and wellbeing, and really enables people to experience the joys of cycling.
What happens next?
It remains unclear whether the SNP will form a partnership with another party or govern as a minority. Either outcome could have a significant impact on the future of active travel in Scotland.
Cycling UK coordinated a supporter action in which 150 supporters contacted more than 3,800 local candidates about their views on active travel. Many of the candidates who responded positively are now MSPs so we look forward to working with those individuals to make cycling the easy choice in Scotland.
Cycling UK will be watching developments closely and is already planning engagement with newly elected MSPs to ensure that walking, wheeling and cycling remain central to Scotland’s transport agenda throughout this Parliament.
