Cars get £3bn in new road schemes while walking, cycling & buses get £113m

The month of May has seen funding announcements from the Department for Transport that clearly show that the Coalition Government is not “the greenest Government ever.” Far from it.

A large pot of cash for cars and HGVs is a “good return on investment”, said transport minister Mike Penning. The minuscule pot of cash for alternatives to the car is “signalling our commitment to green growth,” said transport minister Norman Baker.

Today Baker announced the local authorities who have won match-funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. £113m will be spent on 30 schemes, only two of which have ‘cycling’ in the title. Others – including a scheme in Devon designed in association with Sustrans – have cycling as part of the mix. The Local Sustainable Transport Fund was set up after the Coalition Government abolished Cycling England. Cash that should have gone to cycling is now being spread more thinly.

Earlier in May, Roads Minister Mike Penning said:

“We are committed to tackling congestion, keeping traffic moving and supporting the UK economy, putting in money where it’s most needed and where the public will get a good return on investment.

“We have already announced around £3bn of investment to complete work on Highways Agency major road projects under construction and to allow work to start before March 2015 on 20 much-needed road improvement schemes.

“Today, I am confirming development work will be advanced on a further six schemes around the country. This means they will be in a good position to be selected for start of works in the early years of the next spending review period.”

It seems that cash for roads that will quickly clog up can be found easily but there’s very little funding available for congestion-busting, health-giving cycling.

Announcing the £113m match-funding awards for schemes costing less than £5m, Baker said:

“The schemes we are funding today will benefit communities from Devon to Durham by cutting carbon emissions, reducing congestion and stimulating economic growth in these areas.

“By investing in these projects we are signalling our commitment to green growth which will help to kick-start economic activity in local areas while improving access to healthier forms of transport and addressing the problem of climate change.”

Cycle Coventry is to be funded with £5m. Smarter Travel Slough aims to reduce congestion on main roads in the rush hour by increasing the use of walking, cycling and public transport. The Travel Torbay Regeneration Project will deliver a new fast ferry service between Torbay and Brixham which will see journey times cut by half as well as a new cycle route. Access to Jobs, Training and Services in Stafford will aim to reduce congestion at peak times in Stafford by improving access to walking, cycling and public transport.

At the end of June the DfT will announce which local authorities have won match-funding for projects requiring up to £50m funding from DfT.