A new report published on 28 April reveals the 5p cut in fuel duty is a missed opportunity to cut fuel-dependence and decarbonise transport in the UK by using the tax revenue given away to triple investment in active travel to £2.4bn over 12 months.
At the same time, the projected savings made amount to just £35.78 per capita, a sum unlikely to have a noticeable impact on struggling households over the course of a year.
A second report by Cycling UK clearly sets out the significant benefits of creating cycle lanes and other cycling infrastructure.
‘Getting there with cycling’ amasses a mountain of evidence from scores of research studies, reports and real-life examples to back up the claim that now is the time for governments and councils to rapidly build cycling infrastructure across the UK.
With local elections in Wales, Scotland and parts of England, and Assembly elections in Northern Ireland on 5 May, the document aims to convince candidates that people want cycle lanes, they will use them when they are created, and they can help to solve many of today's challenges.
Representatives from the six main political parties in Northern Ireland came together on 13 April to outline what their parties will do to get more people cycling and walking after the Assembly elections on 5 May.
Journalist, author and broadcaster Malachi O’Doherty chaired the active travel hustings, hosted jointly by Cycling UK and Sustrans.
Perhaps unusually, the DUP, Sinn Féin, SDLP, Alliance Party, UUP and the Green Party were all in agreement that more investment in active travel is needed. They agreed that more needs to be done to ensure this happens, and that holding the next Executive to account to prioritise both the investment and delivery of schemes is imperative. Commitment to get this done was shown by all parties.
New research published on 22 April shows one in four adults (24%) in Wales would likely cycle more regularly if their streets were redesigned to be safer for walking and cycling, while one in five (21%) would drive less frequently.
The findings were published as cost-of-living increases across Wales are forcing many people to consider ways of saving money, including reducing their amount of car journeys.
Cycling UK estimates 517k more adults would cycle if the streets were safer. Gwenda Owen, Cycling UK’s spokesperson in Wales, said:
“It’s time for politicians to deliver what people want and need in Wales. Cycling UK is not saying ban driving, but we are saying that people should have the choice of cheap and free alternative ways of getting about, like cycling and walking, especially for local journeys.”
Scottish adults show strong support for measures which make walking and cycling safer in their local areas.
In a poll carried out this month by YouGov on behalf of Cycling UK, 1,089 adults in Scotland were asked whether they supported redesigning streets to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Overall, 61% said they would support this.
Jim Densham, Cycling UK’s campaigns and policy manager for Scotland, said the results of the poll send a clear message to politicians that providing safer spaces for walking and cycling is a vote-winner. “It’s encouraging to see that there is strong support for reallocating space on Scotland’s streets for walking and cycling.
“The results show that support outweighs opposition regardless of age, social class or location in Scotland.”
A new 320km walking and cycle path is to be created out of the temporary access roads used during the construction of HS2. The plan is to create a 3m-wide cycle path adjacent to a 2.5m-wide footpath, separated by a grass verge. It will run in parallel to the HS2 track but be separated from it by some distance.
In order to build the high speed rail line through the English countryside, temporary roads must be built all along it for the workers to access the site. In his last Parliamentary report, rail minister Andrew Stephenson said he has asked HS2 Ltd to look into repurposing these roads into walking and cycling schemes, which can then be joined with other local pathways to create one super footpath.
Work is already underway on the first 80km stretch of the path, known as the Buckinghamshire Greenway. It begins at the Colne Valley, just below the Chiltern Hills – an area of outstanding natural beauty – and runs to Stowe, just north of Buckingham, via Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury.
The weekend of 24 April marked the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Trespass, which led to the creation of National Parks and open access land. A lot has improved since then for public access to the countryside, but there are also some areas where rightful access is being restricted or denied.
This includes beautiful places like the Bolton Abbey Estate in the Yorkshire Dales, where the landowner is getting significant tax breaks by agreeing to open up access. However, there are no signs of that actually being the case .
Cycling UK has put together a fantasy MTB route on currently restricted access trails – you should be able to ride it, but currently you can't. However, it's a route that’s respectful, sustainable and within easy reach of millions of potential riders – who would no doubt put plenty of money in the tills of the Estate’s cafés, and those of local businesses too.
Thousands of people cycled through the streets of Edinburgh to the Scottish Parliament in a mass celebration of pedal power and protest, and to call for more action for cycling. With the local elections a matter of days away, candidates needed to hear the call for change. It was a joyous and positive event that brought feelings of freedom and release after winter and the Covid-19 restrictions. Pedal on Parliament is an annual opportunity for people who cycle in Scotland to tell their politicians that cycling is important to them – and that they want more investment and action to make cycling a safe and easy option for journeys by bike.
A plan to increase Belfast's cycle lanes by 193km has been unveiled by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon.
The proposals outline over 50 new cycling schemes including new trial routes in three stages between 2022 and 2031 but will be budget-dependent.
From a spend of around £1million in 2021/22 DfI propose an annual increase of £2million each year until the final year of the programme when capital spend could be around £19million.
Belfast currently has four key cycling routes including Comber Greenway, Connswater Community Greenway, Lagan towpath and the North Foreshore Path, which DfI admits "need significant improvement in places".
Campaigners in the Highlands are calling for a safe active travel path along the route of the busy A862 between Inverness and Beauly. Cycling UK’s Jim Densham has supported the Inverness Beauly Path Campaign since its inception, and the group has used film shot by Jim to create their own short video for social media ahead of the local elections, aiming to attract attention towards a local consultation.
On 5 May, there will be elections for the local authorities of Scotland, Wales, and 146 English local authorities and mayors. Northern Ireland will elect the National Assembly.
Across our election campaigns, we are setting out a vision for cycling, with safe urban spaces, connected communities, and accessible countryside. A vision where every day journeys are active travel journeys, our air is cleaner, and our health and wellbeing prioritised. It is time for politicians to step up, be bold, and make cycling happen.
Use our simple social media toolkit to have your say and make cycling happen.
There are thousands of historical rights of way were recorded incorrectly when councils were compiling their official maps in the 1950s. However, the public’s right to ride on them still exists. It hasn’t just disappeared because they’ve been marked incorrectly on a map. Discover and recover lost rights of way near you.
Are you a local cycle campaigner looking for some expert guidance? This is an opportunity for you to have a one-to-one consultation online with Cycling UK campaigns team staff.
If you have a) a specific question you’d like to discuss, or b) a more general area you’d like guidance on how to proceed with then this could be for you. This is one of an ongoing series of surgery sessions.
