Councils criticised after report reveals drop in cycle lane investment

22 October 2008

Local authorities have been criticised for reducing investment in new cycle lanes, year-on-year, since 2003.

The number of new cycle lanes decreased from 424 to 253 between 2003-04 and 2006-07, while investment in cycle lanes per kilometre fell from 405kms in 2001-02 to just 140kms in 2006-07, the Department for Transport revealed in a parliamentary answer.

The average length of cycle lanes has also declined from 869m to 553m.

Chris Peck, policy co-ordinator of national cycling organisation CTC, said: ‘This isn’t a surprise in a country where we spend 70 times more on roads than on cycling. ‘What’s worse is that even the few cycle lanes which are installed are too short and narrow, and often end where they are most needed.’

CTC is calling on local authorities to dedicate at least 10% of their transport budget to walking and cycling. It says design guidance on cycle facilities is still to be published by the DfT more than four years after it was first drafted.

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