Friday, 29 March 2024
FeaturedNews

Sustrans report £1.7 billion in local business benefit from Network use

Today marks the release of ‘Paths for everyone: Three years on’, a Sustrans report which assesses UK wide success in improving the access, safety and public appeal of the National Cycle Network.

As is outlined in today’s announcement, “This work was directed by, and based upon, actions identified as priorities in the original 2018 Paths for everyone report on the National Cycle Network (the Network).”

Headline numbers:

  • £1.7 billion – estimated value to local businesses, via tourism and leisure based Network use. 
  • £2.1 billion – estimated boost to UK economy, through health, congestion, environmental benefits.
  • 121 million – more trips taken on the Network than the previous year, a 19% increase
  • 4.9 million users – making over 764.8 million trips across the Network, during peak 2020 pandemic.
  • 72% – the number of users who felt the Network was the best transport option for their trip.

When the Network launched in 1995, backed by a National Lottery Grant from the Millennium Commission, it measured 500 miles. Since then it has expanded to a 2018 peak of 16,519 miles, which has since reduced to 12,786 miles of signed routes in 2020.

As a charitable organisation, “Sustrans only owns around 271 miles, or 2%, of the Network across the UK. The rest belongs to various landowners. This is why it is crucial that we work in partnership with government, local authorities and other key stakeholders to design a Network that works for everyone, at all levels.”

Keeping this in mind, during 2020 a key part of the work focused on accessibility, that “removed or redesigned 315 barriers to allow people using wheelchairs and buggies to access the Network.” which “removed or reclassified 3,733 miles of dangerous or inaccessible parts of the Network to create a safer and better-quality network overall.”

Expanding upon this work the report highlights, “So far, we’ve delivered 27 projects across the UK to make the Network safer and increase the number of traffic-free miles. There are a further 28 projects in progress that will be completed by 2023.”

Xavier Brice, Sustrans CEO, comments that, “In times of public health crisis and the climate emergency, travelling actively has never been more important. The National Cycle Network is a vital part of the UK’s green infrastructure, connecting people to places and to one another, providing family-friendly spaces and boosting local economies. The huge increase we’ve seen in the number of people relying on the Network for exercise and travel proves just how crucial these routes are. We will continue our work to make it easier for people to travel safely and actively as we rebuild after the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The ongoing charitable work carried out by Sustrans remains critical to active transport and environmental goals in the UK, especially as UK Government struggles with funding for active transport initiatives, despite the recent creation of Active Travel England.

To access the complete ‘Paths for everyone: Three years on’ report, click here.

Image credit: Sustrans / Jonathan Bewley