Government targets to increase levels of cycling and walking in England are set to be missed, according to a new report (Tim Ireland/PA) Government targets to increase levels of cycling and walking in England are set to be missed, according to a new report.
Delivery of active travel schemes has been “patchy” and the Department for Transport (DfT) “does not yet know” if local authority projects “have been of good enough quality”, public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) said.
The Government’s objectives for active travel include doubling the number of journeys made by cycling from 0.8 billion in 2013 to 1.6 billion in 2025.
It also wants to increase the percentage of short journeys in towns and cities that are walked or cycled from 41% in 2018/19 to 46% in 2025, and has targets for boosting walking activity. DfT knows little about what has been achieved The NAO said: “It is unlikely that DfT’s objectives for increased active travel by 2025 will be achieved.”
In response, the DfT said it is “committed to ensuring that more people choose to walk, wheel and cycle”.
The NAO found that the creation of Government agency Active Travel England at the beginning of 2022 “has the potential to be a catalyst for increasing walking, wheeling and cycling”.
The DfT estimates the Government will provide around £6.6 billion for active travel between 2016 and 2025, the NAO said.A reduction in active travel budgets was announced in March.The NAO recommended that the DfT reviews its objectives for 2025 and […]
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