Labour transport chief talks up active travel funding commitment but remains tight-lipped on clear targets
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Labour’s transport chief has talked up the government’s latest active travel funding pledge while not being drawn on specific national aims for walking and cycling, despite calls for clear targets from over 50 active travel groups including the ACT.
Lilian Greenwood, parliamentary under-secretary of state for local transport, was speaking after the government announced £626m for walking, wheeling and cycling schemes in England, insisting Labour was “taking active travel seriously” but declining to commit to measurable outcomes.
Her comments come as the ACT joined more than 50 organisations in writing to transport secretary Heidi Alexander calling for clearer, binding national targets for active travel.
The letter urges ministers to strengthen Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy 3 (CWIS3) by moving from “good intentions” to a fully deliverable plan, with defined outputs to 2030 and a long-term vision to 2050.
Greenwood said campaigners wanted certainty and seriousness from government, adding: “What campaigners want is for us to take active travel really seriously, and that’s about long-term funding certainty so you can properly plan.”
She also framed the funding as part of a wider shift away from what she called the Conservatives’ “shameful” culture wars around cycling, saying Labour wanted “a system that works for everybody” and rejected the idea of a “war on the motorist”.
However, when pressed on whether CWIS3 would include clear national targets for walking and cycling, Greenwood refused to be drawn, despite growing pressure from health, transport and environmental groups.
Campaigners argue that without clear, measurable targets, the funding risks falling short of delivering the health, safety and economic benefits ministers say active travel can provide.