Scotland grasps the active travel opportunity while England flounders

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt didn’t find time to mention transport in his Autumn Statement, but the Scottish Budget this week, via Finance Secretary Shona Robison, featured some joined up thinking and boosted active travel funding for 2024/2025.

Perhaps looking beyond the short-term political horizon and focusing instead on core governing issues like public health and the health of the planet, £220 million of funding was announced for active travel, an increase of £31 million on the previous year.

Cycling UK was among those welcoming the announcement. Campaigns and policy manager for Scotland, Jim Densham, said: “At a time of considerable strain on the public purse, the Scottish Government’s Budget provides a welcome and significant boost in funding for projects that will enable people to make local journeys by cycling, walking or wheeling.

“£220m is a record investment that shows Scotland is leading the way within the UK, although it falls disappointingly short of the £320m promised at the beginning of this Parliament. We urge the government to ensure that this target is met in 2025/26.

“Investing in active travel is proven to be excellent value for money: every £1 spent on cycling and walking schemes provides almost £6 worth of benefits, including improved health and wellbeing, reduced congestion and better air quality.

“The continued growth in funding gives councils across Scotland the opportunity to enable more people to cycle easily, confidently and safely.”

Westminster appears more in favour of the “one step forward, one or two steps back” approach to active travel. While there have been some significant gains like the setting up of Active Travel England, the government has in recent months seemed more keen on posturing against “sinister” local councils and stirring up a supposed “war on the motorist” in what some pundits have labelled a distraction from failures in other areas.

Image by Neal Nisbet from Pixabay