Clegg announces major cash boost for cycling

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg announced a £214m boost for cycling this week at a cycle summit in Bristol.

The Government will give £114m to the eight cities that have already received Cycle City Ambition Grant: Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol and Norwich. Grant will be allocated over three years, 2015/16 to 2017/18. The remaining £100m will be spent by the Government’s new strategic roads company to improve cycling conditions along and across motorways and trunk roads.

Said Clegg: “I’m committed to helping our dream of becoming a cycling nation, similar to places like Denmark and the Netherlands, become a reality.” 

Michael Dugher, the new shadow transport secretary, this week promised that a Labour Government would provide a long-term plan for cycling, with clear targets, cross-departmental support, and clarity about funding sources. The party will also study what lessons can be learned from the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Act.

Discuss this at LTT's Smarter Travel 2015 event in February