Cycling campaigners call for end to culture war on active travel

The new government should end the previous culture war-based approach to active travel and start investing properly in safe bike routes, the country’s biggest cycling campaign group has said.

The call from Cycling UK comes after a survey it commissioned, which looked into the reasons people don’t ride a bike, found that almost half cited safety worries, with older riders particularly concerned about this.

The group is calling for coherent and committed investment in cycling for transport – noting this would be a contrast to the approach taken at times under Rishi Sunak’s government.

Sunak and his transport secretary, Mark Harper, pushed back against low-traffic neighbourhood schemes, 20mph zones and bus lanes, seeking to rebalance the roads in favour of drivers’ needs.

This included Harper, who lost his seat to Labour in the general election, perpetuating myths about so-called 15 minute cities, an urban planning concept that he falsely described as giving councils powers to decide how often people go to the shops.

The Cycling UK polling found that while 92% of UK adults can ride a bike, fewer than half do, with 48% of people citing road safety as the reason why they do not cycle.

The charity stresses that while cycling is safer than many people believe and has become more so in recent years, the perception of danger remains a major barrier. This can often be addressed by cycling-specific infrastructure such as separated bike lanes, which 70% of people want to see more of, the poll found.

It has called on the Labour government to commit 10% of the total transport budget to active travel, arguing this would bring huge dividends for public health and the environment.

“The findings in this survey show that there is real appetite in the UK to encourage more cycling, more routes and the building of better infrastructure to ensure people are kept safe while cycling,” said Sarah Mitchell, Cycling UK’s chief executive.

“The public recognise the benefits and are desperate to enjoy them. With political will and proportionate funding, we can make that future a reality.”

Mitchell called for any debate on the issue to be led by evidence, saying this was too often not the case under the latter stages of the previous government: “We are hopeful that this kind of divisive rhetoric will be put to bed once and for all.”

Lou Haigh, the new transport secretary, is understood to be very keen to move on from the Harper-era approach, and has already signalled her keenness to boost active travel levels.

In remarks to Department for Transport staff when she first took over the job, Haigh called efforts to make transport more environmentally friendly “the critical thread weaving through every priority”.

“A huge amount has been achieved through your work on the switch to zero emission vehicles and sustainable aviation fuels, and we are looking forward to building on that,” she told them.

“But we will also get straight to work on our plans to make public transport and active travel much more attractive choices.”