Green Party says government needs to “get serious about reducing traffic
levels” following active travel funding announcement

04 January 2023, 15:20

The Green Party has criticised the government’s recent announcement that
£32.9 million will be set aside to help councils across England build a
network of cycling and walking experts, claiming that the new funding
“doesn’t come close to delivering the active travel resolution we need”.

On Monday, Department for Transport (DfT) launched its scheme to create a
network of active travel experts which it hopes will realise the
government’s ambition of increasing journeys by bike or on foot, as well as
giving local communities more of a say in shaping cycling and walking
schemes.

Besides helping fund the creation of hundreds of new jobs throughout the
country, the DfT says that the funding will also help councils train
existing councillors and staff, as well as providing money for network
planning and for public engagement exercises such as consultations.

However, the Green Party has responded to the funding by branding it a
“drop in the ocean”, arguing that the government needs to be more ambitious
when it comes to active travel.

“It is always welcome to see new funding to help develop world class active
travel networks across England,” Bradford councillor and the Greens’
transport spokesperson Matt Edwards said in a statement. “Active Travel
England wants 50 percent of trips in England’s urban areas to be walked,
cycled or made by other active travel means by 2030.

“However, this goal is being undermined whilst our local councils continue
to treat active travel as an afterthought. Retraining staff is a good place
to start but the government needs to be much more ambitious.

“£33 million is a drop in the ocean when you consider the billions in the
Department of Transport budget – £16 billion alone is allocated to just
five road building schemes.

“Training new teams of experts is pointless without the funding to deliver
the programme of schemes we need. The government needs to follow through
and get serious about reducing traffic levels and boosting active travel by
switching the billions earmarked for building new roads into investing in
healthy walking, cycling and other forms of active travel.”

<https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-4-january-2023-298361#live-blog-item-42033>

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Spike

On 28/01/2024 01:19 pm, Spike wrote:
>
> Green Party says government needs to “get serious about reducing traffic
> levels” following active travel funding announcement
>
> 04 January 2023, 15:20
>
> The Green Party has criticised the government’s recent announcement that
> £32.9 million will be set aside to help councils across England build a
> network of cycling and walking experts, claiming that the new funding
> “doesn’t come close to delivering the active travel resolution we need”.
>
> On Monday, Department for Transport (DfT) launched its scheme to create a
> network of active travel experts which it hopes will realise the
> government’s ambition of increasing journeys by bike or on foot, as well as
> giving local communities more of a say in shaping cycling and walking
> schemes.
>
> Besides helping fund the creation of hundreds of new jobs throughout the
> country, the DfT says that the funding will also help councils train
> existing councillors and staff, as well as providing money for network
> planning and for public engagement exercises such as consultations.
>
> However, the Green Party has responded to the funding by branding it a
> “drop in the ocean”, arguing that the government needs to be more ambitious
> when it comes to active travel.
>
> “It is always welcome to see new funding to help develop world class active
> travel networks across England,” Bradford councillor and the Greens’
> transport spokesperson Matt Edwards said in a statement. “Active Travel
> England wants 50 percent of trips in England’s urban areas to be walked,
> cycled or made by other active travel means by 2030.
>
> “However, this goal is being undermined whilst our local councils continue
> to treat active travel as an afterthought. Retraining staff is a good place
> to start but the government needs to be much more ambitious.
>
> “£33 million is a drop in the ocean when you consider the billions in the
> Department of Transport budget – £16 billion alone is allocated to just
> five road building schemes.
>
> “Training new teams of experts is pointless without the funding to deliver
> the programme of schemes we need. The government needs to follow through
> and get serious about reducing traffic levels and boosting active travel by
> switching the billions earmarked for building new roads into investing in
> healthy walking, cycling and other forms of active travel.”
>
> <https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-4-january-2023-298361#live-blog-item-42033>

It would be interesting to know where these five roads are being built
at an alleged cost of £16,000,000,000.00 (if not £16,000,000,000,000.00).