Cycling England’s Mid-term Review
Cycling England’s Mid-term Review marks the half way stage of the 2008/2011 Spending Review. The review highlights key milestones both for cycling and for Cycling England, including initial results from the Cycling Demonstration Town programme. These show that all towns have achieved significant success in getting more people cycling.
Data gathered from the first six cycling towns has proved for the first time in 30 years that investment in cycling can reverse what had seemed like an inexorable decline in cycling (with the exception of London). The results show:
• Cycling trips up on average by 27% in less than three years
• Cycling to school at least once a week has increased by 126%
• Growing numbers of new people cycling
• Significant increase in measures of physical activity – contributing to improvements in health
Early conservative economic analysis suggests a cost benefit of at least 3:1 in terms of reduced congestion, air quality and improved health. While the success of this demonstration serves only as a guide to encourage initiative and innovation, it is clear these results could be repeated in towns and cities around the country.
The progress of Bikeability, the Government’s national cycle training programme, shows that Cycling England is on target to train half a million children by 2012. The scheme is now provided by most local authorities in England, equipping children with the skills and confidence to tackle the modern road.
Overall, Cycling England is on track to meet its Spending Round objectives: to get more people cycling (especially children); to demonstrate the benefits of cycling for short trips and investigate the best ways of achieving this; and to explore new ways to introduce non-cyclists to cycling.
Click here to download the report http://www.dft.gov.uk/cyclingengland/who-we-are/
