Chris Boardman urges the government to 'stick with' active travel plans

Chris Boardman has said the government should "stick with" plans to boost walking and cycling, as the British government sets out plans to end the "war on motorists".

In recent weeks, Rishi Sunak's government has declared itself the ally of drivers, vowing to "prevent schemes which aggressively restrict where people can drive".

Speaking at the opening of a new cycleway in Salford on Sunday, Boardman, the government's active travel commissioner and the head of Active Travel England, raised concerns both with the "language" being used by the government, and with the logic of their plans.

Highlighting the Prime Minister's declaration to "slam the brakes on the war on motorists", and his labelling of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and 20mph zones as "hare-brained schemes", Boardman said, "it's not the language I would choose".

Boardman suggested that ultimately, making driving easier would simply lead to more congestion and frustration. He said that bikes are six times more space-efficient than cars.

“So if you actually join the dots, if we don’t give reasons not to drive it’s going to make life pretty miserable for motorists.

“Follow the logic string, it’s not a very long one, if driving gets easier, then logically more people will want to do it, which is more cars, which makes driving miserable.”

Asked for a message for the government, Boardman said the existing active travel policy is "fantastic", adding: "So just stick with it".

Boardman pointed out that there are active travel plans ongoing around the country, but the government's message is one-sided.

“It would be good if these things were said at the same time, in my view,” he said.

“When you’re doing just this one thing it doesn’t show that that’s important here, so I’d like to see them rolled out at the same time to get balance.

“Everybody wants their kids to be safe, we need to make sure that that’s been spoken to, and it’s actually in there in the policy, but it hasn’t been pushed up front in the last 48 hours.”

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph speed zones are extremely controversial, but Boardman says that although there is a "fear of change", parents tend to back the results, as they make getting to school safer.

In speaking out, Boardman joins British Cycling, Sustrans, Cycling UK, and many more cycling and outdoor organisations who have expressed disappointment with the government's new message, with many saying that the government is simply "entrenching congestion" with their plans.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper will announce the full details of the proposals at a Conservative Party conference in Manchester today.