DfT's recent cycling achievements
Posted on in Cycles News , Political News
The Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Grant Shapps, has updated the House on key recent achievements by the Department for Transport.
The Secretary has highlighted the importance of finding efficient transport by stating "Transport plays a critical part in all our lives and is central to some of the biggest issues the country faces, including decarbonisation, growing our economy and uniting the country."
The update states the following achievements specific to cycling:
- Government spending on cycling and walking has increased to around £2 billion over the 2016 to 2017-2020 to 2021 Spending Review period.
- Invested over £40 million in the Cycle Rail programme since 2012 which has tripled the number of cycle parking spaces at over 500 stations, bringing the total to over 80,000.
- Invested £22 million in 33 new and upgraded cycle routes on the National Cycle Network this year.
- Launched a £2 million e-cargo bike grant programme in February 2019 to support the uptake of e-cargo bikes.
- Announced a further £13 million in the Bikeability training for school children in October 2018, to extend the scheme into 2020 to 2021. In the year up to April 2019, around 400,000 children completed the scheme.
- Secured funding through the Cycle City Ambition programme to improve cycling infrastructure in 8 cities to get more people cycling by improving and expanding cycle routes between the city centres, local communities, and key employment and retail sites.
- Published the first ever statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in April 2017.
The report also lists improvements for other methods of transport, ongoing technical innovations, motoring and the environment and more. Read the full report on the government website.
