'Cycling in the UK peaked 75 years ago' – New report highlights funding neglect

The lack of provision for cycling in the UK has been laid bare by a new report that highlights historic shortcomings and pushes for future investment.

“Cycling in the UK peaked 75 years ago,” says Maya Singer Hobbs, senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, which has just produced a report entitled ‘Stride and Ride: England’s path from laggard to leader in walking, wheeling, and cycling’.

“Since then, UK government policy has locked in car dependency, making people walk wary and cycle cautious, at the expense of our health, our environment and our economy.

“Investment in active travel infrastructure to get more people walking and wheeling is crucial to cutting emissions and improving growth.”

Read more: The Dutch turned the Netherlands into a bicycle utopia. Here’s how we can do the same in other countries

The new report details how the UK has some of the lowest levels of active travel among European populations, and makes the case for a sea change in the way active travel is treated and funded in the UK.

It currently suffers from inconsistency and short-termism, say the researchers, but fundamentally from a simple lack of money. Between 2016 and 2021, they found, an average of £10 per person per year was spent on active travel, while £148 was spent on roads. What’s more, a proposed package of £233m for active travel was scrapped in 2022.

It’s a false economy, argue the researchers, with the report stating that the average return on investment for active travel infrastructure is more than double that for roads, while providing other important long-term benefits.

Shifting short journeys from cars to active travel would save the National Health Service £17 billion over 20 years, with the target of “doubling cycling” cited as a factor that could prevent 8,300 premature deaths and save £567 million per year through improved air quality.

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

The latter point ties into the climate consideration, with the report pointing out that the UK’s 2030 climate commitments include reducing car miles by 25%, and that this relies on cycling levels increasing by at least 20% within the decade.

"This research reveals what could be achieved if all the warm words from government about the value of walking, wheeling and cycling were matched with investment,” said Stephen Frost, principal research fellow at IPPR.

“Active travel is among the safest investments in transport - a future UK government must put its money in the right place.”

The IPPR proposes a new funding model that delivers at least 25,000 miles of protected cycle paths as part of a package of £35 per person per year on active travel infrastructure. On top of that, £15 per person per year should be spent on programmes to change behaviours, “such as training for cyclists, incentives to increase access to bicycles, and loans of e-bikes”.