Active travel groups call for clear targets on walking and cycling in England

"More than 50 groups connected to transport and public health have urged the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, to set specific targets for levels of walking and cycling in England, warning that plans as they stand are too vague. A letter from groups including British Cycling, Cycling UK, the National Trust and the British Medical Association says the government's proposals for active travel must move from good intentions to a clear, long-term, fully deliverable national plan comparable to other strategic transport programmes."

"Transport planners for modes such as road and rail have the confidence of established funding and plans setting out objectives over decades, the groups point out, contrasting this with what they say remains an often short-term and piecemeal approach to active travel despite this making up a third of all trips. The government has promised unprecedented levels of funding for walking, wheeling and cycling."

"Some parts of the active travel world not connected to the letter have expressed concern that the Department for Transport (DfT) under Alexander is less engaged with the subject than it was under her predecessor, Louise Haigh, and that momentum is being lost. In contrast, the letter, which is also signed by representatives of the Association of Directors of Public Health, Ramblers and three of England's regional active travel commissioners, is not directly critical"

More than 50 transport and public health groups urged transport secretary Heidi Alexander to set specific targets for walking and cycling in England, warning current plans are too vague. The groups called for a long-term, fully deliverable national plan with funding and multi-decade objectives comparable to road and rail programmes. They noted active travel accounts for about a third of all trips yet often receives short-term, piecemeal treatment. Ministers are consulting on CWIS3 and the groups asked for clear 2030 targets, including that 50% of trips under five miles in towns and cities should be walked, wheeled or cycled.

Read at www.theguardian.com