PM needs to step in to Get Britain Cycling
31 October 2014
For immediate release
CTC, the national cycling charity, today (Friday 31 October) criticised the Government for its response to the House of Commons Transport Committee’s Cycling Safety report, saying the Prime Minister needs to step in personally if his aspirations for a “cycling revolution” are to come true.
In its initial reaction, CTC noted the Government’s response ignored the Select Committee’s recommendation for an ambition of a cycling spend of £10 per person annually by 2020 and a timetable of how this would be achieved.
The Government claims that current cycling spend in England is £5 per person. However this estimate includes Transport for London's current spending of over £15 per head, hence the average annual spend per person outside London is considerably lower. It also rests on questionable assumptions that 11% of Local Transport Plan integrated transport block funding, and 28% of funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, are being spent on cycling. Currently no evidence has been provided to support either of these figures.
Roger Geffen, CTC Campaigns and Policy Director said:
“The Government’s response to the Committee report is very disappointing. While the Prime Minister calls for a ‘cycling revolution’, his Government is making long term plans for road and rail while neglecting cycling. Clearly he needs to step in and take a personal involvement to prevent his cycling plans growing dusty and rusty at the back of the Department for Transport’s store cupboard.
“There is a fundamental failure to address the Transport Committee’s weakened recommendation for a timetable on how cycling can be funded by £10 per head annually. This is small change within the Government’s overall transport spending.
“Other Government departments need to play their part too, notably the departments for Health, Education, Local Government and the Treasury. David Cameron really needs to knock ministerial heads together if his cycling plan is to be a success.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
CTC, the UK’s largest cycling charity, inspires and helps people to cycle and keep cycling, whatever kind of cycling they do or would like to do. Over a century’s experience tells us that cycling is more than useful transport; it makes you feel good, gives you a sense of freedom and creates a better environment for everyone.
- The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s Get Britain Cycling inquiry called for cycling to be increased from less than 2% of trips at present to 10% of trips (a bit below German levels of cycle use) by 2025, and to 25% of trips (just below Dutch levels) by 2050. It also called for spending of at least £10 per person annually on cycling – rising to £20 as cycle use increases – in order to maximise its health, economic, environmental and other benefits. It took evidence from experts on cycling and sustainable travel, health and road safety, as well as representatives of motoring and freight industries, and Government ministers. The inquiry was authored by Professor Phil Goodwin, a leading transport researcher at University College London and the University of the West of England. The inquiry was sponsored by News International, publishers of the Times newspaper, as part of its ‘Cities fit for Cycling’ campaign. Further information can be found at: https://www.ctc.org.uk/campaign/get-britain-cycling
- The Department for Transport recently released its Cycling Delivery Plan on 16 October just ahead of Parliamentary debate on cycling. CTC’s reaction and critique of the plan can be found here: https://www.ctc.org.uk/news/20141015-delivery-plan-doomed-without-funding
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