Northern Ireland eyes 10% of transport budget for walking and cycling
Having concluded a round of elections recently, Northern Ireland looks closer than ever to upping its walking and cycling budget to a historic 10% of all spend.
With a reshuffle of Members of the Legislative Assembly concluded, 48 of the 90 now in place have already signed up to Cycling UK’s trio of pledges to back cycling. The balance of power tipped toward Sinn Féin, which secured 27 seats against the Democratic Unionist Party’s 25 and Alliance Party’s 17.
The pledges outlined by Cycling UK are:
- Investment in Cycling, Walking and Wheeling – introduce an Active Travel Act, and commit 10% of the transport budget to active travel
- Safety on our roads – bring in lower speed limits and prioritise cycling in the new Road Safety Strategy
- Connect where people live, to where they work, learn and play – through safe cycle lanes and improved space for bikes on public transport
Duncan Dollimore of Cycling UK told press he feels that progress towards 10% of transport budget for active travel is becoming an inevitability and that the Department for Infrastructure will steer progress (In Northern Ireland responsibility is not with the local authority).
Investment levels into active travel are the UK’s lowest proportionately in the UK at present. Last year £11 million was spent on walking and cycling, plus £2.5 million in Greenways funding. Should the momentum in Northern Ireland carry as Dollimore expects, England would drop to the bottom of the investment table. (In case you missed it, £200 million of the £2 billion nationwide budget has just been outlined.)
Dollimore said: “There are obviously questions about what’s going to happen with the Assembly related to the protocol. But I think it would be fair to say that, once the Assembly is up and running, it’s highly likely that the active travel budget will increase towards 10%.
“It may take a few years to get there, rather than in year one – probably incremental over the next four years. With a majority of MLAs specifically pledging to support it, none could oppose it without flatly ignoring an election commitment.”
Funding aside, there is a consensus from the six largest parties in Northern Ireland on subjects such as slowed speeds on residential roads and the general view to reducing car reliance in urban spaces.
Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP leader and newly elected MLA told Cycling UK ‘”I believe the next Assembly will focus on delivering a better infrastructure to encourage active travel. Let me assure you that the Democratic Unionist Party will play its part”.
Cycling UK has pledged to follow up with elected candidates to remind them of their pledges and to form a concrete plan to enhance active travel during their time in office.
