Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy to cut car use
The government has unveiled its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy intended to get motorists out of their cars in towns and cities.
It has pledged to invest £4.5bn in the next five years to develop 5,000 more walking and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings around schools and high streets.
As well as supporting the government’s net zero objectives, the target of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy is to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on roads, encourage 5.5 million to be more physically active, and have 60% of children aged 5-16 walking to school by 2035.
The government also argues that fewer short car trips could help households give up their second car, saving upwards of £1,700 a year.
Active travel
Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “This strategy sets out a long-term, strategic plan for making active travel choices an everyday reality.
“Walking, wheeling and cycling deliver benefits across every aspect of life. That’s why we are setting a vision that walking, wheeling and cycling is a safe, easy and accessible option for everyone and that by 2035, 55% of all short stages in towns and cities will be walked or cycled.
“Backed by £4.5bn of investment, we will empower local authorities across England to embed active travel into their local transport systems. We know that the Department for Transport has sometimes been slow to support local authority innovation in the past.
“We want to change this, so alongside this longer-term work, we are launching a new £10m Streets Innovation Fund to support trials of innovative measures intended to encourage active travel and improve road safety.”
