Sunak stays the course on cycling policy, Truss yet to offer stance
Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has pledged to stay the course of the Government’s current active travel policy in a response to The Conservative Friends of Cycling probing the future direction of both candidates.
Chris Howell of the Conservative cycling group sought a reply from both candidates this month, asking four crucial questions including most critically, as prime Minister will the candidate maintain the newly-established Active Travel England, an organisation Chris Boardman and a team of specialists are now steering with a view to progressing active travel infrastructure in England.
The questions put to the candidates were:
- Do you support the Government’s ‘Gear Change’ policy and policy objective that 50% of all journeys in towns and cities should be walked or cycled by 2030.?
- What measures would you support to promote modal shift towards cycling and walking?
- What personal experience do you have of cycling?
- Will you continue to support Active Travel England?
Team Rishi’s camp were quick to respond and, while there was nothing new in the affirmative response, staying the course on current policy was pledged.
The three paragraph reply pledged that Active Travel England would be “able to continue the good work started by the government”. There exist fears that this organisation could be on rocky ground with Boris Johnson, and thus also cycling czar Andrew Gilligan, out of office. Gilligan is widely credited with steering favourable sentiment to cycling during Johnson’s premiership.
Team Rishi were otherwise boastful on the accomplishments while Sunak held the role of Chancellor, pointing to “£710 million of new investment in active travel funding over the next three years, in the last Autumn Budget”, as well as the current £338 million package that is apparently set to deliver “over 1,000 miles of safe and direct cycling and walking networks to be delivered by 2025.”
The mathematics of such claims have always been somewhat flaky, but a positive pledge from the underdog candidate will nonetheless be welcomed in the bike world.
For context, it is estimated that delivery of one kilometre of high quality segregated cycle path costs £1.45 million. If one thousand miles were to be laid down it is reasonable to assume the entire five year walking and cycling budget could easily be accounted for long before other funding pledges for schemes, training, trials and repair vouchers are factored in. In theory, one thousand kilometres of cycle path meeting the design standards favoured by Active Travel England should cost around £2.3 billion.
Team Rishi adds: “Rishi has taken investment in cycling and walking to £2 billion over the course of this Parliament and, as Prime Minister, would continue to ensure that the investment is in place to support cycling and cyclists.”
CyclingIndustry.news will update this article as and when Liz Truss comes forward with an active travel statement. Most notably thus far, Truss has modelled a Brompton on an international trade trip, as well as previously held the role of Environment Secretary.
Sustrans CEO Xavier Brice recently penned an open letter to both candidates calling for an increase to the walking and cycling budget, suggesting it could help alleviate many of the pressures faced by the NHS, should the UK adopt active travel rather than sedentary forms.
