After Olympic gold medallist and Cyclist Chris Boardman was announced to lead the government’s new active travel body, Quadrant Transport highlights how a £5.5 million investment in cycling and walking schemes will benefit the UK.
New £5.5 million investment in cycling and walking schemes, including £300,000 top-up to E-cargo bike schemes; £3mn to improve cycling infrastructure around train stations; and explore active travel on prescription.
Cyclist Chris Boardman is behind the scheme and is the national commissioner of the new cycling and walking body, Active Travel England.
The main goal of Active Travel England (ATE) is to drive up the standards of cycling and walking infrastructure.
Active Travel England hopes to build on 1.3 million uptake in cycling
ATE will also begin to inspect and publish reports on highway authorities for their performance on active travel and identify particularly dangerous failings in their highways for cyclists and pedestrians.
Chris is the country’s leading figurehead for active travel and delivered the first phase of Manchester’s public transport system known as the ’Bee Network.’ He will now lead the Active Travel England team in its work to raise the standards of cycling and walking infrastructure, in line with the principles set out in Gear Change: a bold new vision for walking and cycling.
The time has come to build on those pockets of best practice and enable the whole nation to travel easily and safely around their neighbourhoods without feeling compelled to rely on cars
Quadrant Transport heard: “The positive effects of elevated levels of cycling and walking are visible in pockets around the country where people have been given easy and safe alternatives to driving. Most important of all, though, it makes for better places to live while helping both the NHS and our mission to decarbonise.”
Over 30 local authorities already working with ATE
More than 30 local authorities have received part of a £2.2 million pot of Department for Transport funding for feasibility studies into creating ‘cycling and walking on prescription’ schemes.
This will be a legacy we will be proud to leave for our children and future generations. It’s time to make it a reality; it’s time for a quiet revolution
Health Minister Maria Caulfield explained how vital investments in cycling and walking are for people in the UK. She added: “We must do all we can to level up health disparities across the country, meaning everyone, no matter where they are from, can lead healthier, happier lives.”
Rounding up, Active Travel Minister Trudy Harrison told Quadrant Transport: “This funding is about giving people across the country the opportunity to different forms of travel, as well as supporting local businesses with the transition to greener transport. I’m very much looking forward to working with our new active travel commissioner to improve standards for everyone.”