Local authority planners can now apply conventional cost-benefit modelling for cycling infrastructure projects thanks to a new Cycling Planning Model (CPM).
The CPM will help local planners to better assess the number of additional cyclists required to generate a return on investment. The model shows how a surprisingly small number of additional cyclists will pay for investment in new cycling infrastructure.
The model suggests, for example, that an investment of £10,000 requires one additional regular cyclist in the area. New research commissioned by Cycling England, published this week, makes the case for a fundamental rethink in the way local authorities plan cycling. The report argues that cycling must be treated with the same rigour as other mainstream modes of transport if its benefits are to be fully understood.
The study draws on previous research published in 2007 that placed an economic value on the contribution to be made by cycling. It argued that through improvements in health, reductions in congestion and by enhancing the ambient environment, a 50% increase in the number of trips by bicycle would generate benefits worth £1.3bn by 2015.
‘These guidelines should prove to be of great value in arguing the case for, and targeting appropriate investment in, cycling initiatives,’ David Bishop, strategic director of city development, Bristol City Council told Surveyor. ‘The research demonstrates what authorities that are committed to delivering sustainable travel, in particular cycling, have presumed for some time, namely that the overall benefits of cycling to city life such as better health, reduced congestion, improved air quality, are often undervalued,’ he added.
Government policy already encourages local authorities to include cycling in the planning process through Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport 7 (PPG13). But an analysis of the first round of Local Transport Plans (LTPs), running from 2001/02 to 2005/06, showed cycling to be below targets or expectations. Only 25% of local authorities were considered to be ‘on track’ to achieve their core cycling targets.
Phillip Darnton, chairman of Cycling England, said: ‘Unless the full benefits of cycling are taken into account we will systematically under-invest in cycling. Cycling must compete for investment with other modes of transport and this requires robust evidence of its benefits. We believe the Cycling Planning Model will help give local authorities a clearer sense of the return on investment build cycling can deliver.’
An extra £140M of funding for cycling was announced by the Department for Transport last year, leading to the creation of an additional 11 Cycling Towns and the first Cycling City in Bristol.
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