The government has announced £200m of investment for new cycling
and walking schemes. Active Travel England will be overseeing 134 projects as
part of the investment. It all forms part of a wider £2 billion investment in Active
Travel in what is being hailed as a "Golden Age" for cycling and walking.
Active Travel England is the Governments new executive agency
headed up by Chris Boardman. The new schemes are aimed at delivering new walking
and cycle routes across 134 local authorities. There will also be 3 schemes
aimed at testing a “mini Holland” approach based on the Dutch models.
Part of the new measures will also see investment to improve the quality, safety and accessibility
of the National Cycle Network. £8m will be invested to encourage the uptake of
e-scooters.
The shape of mobility is changing and
in part it appears to have been galvanised by travel habits during lockdown. In
2020-21 alone cycling increased by almost 50%.
Now is the time to be considering how
changing mobility affects your estate and the best ways to support the changing
needs of users.