Concerns are growing over an approaching cliff edge for cycle funding when current streams run out in April, leaving all but eight cities, and London, potentially without any cycling money for six months or more.
As the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy becomes law today the CTC's Sam Jones points out it took 18 months to draw up the roads strategy from this point and could take longer for cycling, a considerably lower government priority. He said if he were a cycle planner outside of those nine cities, he would start looking for a new job now, or face being out "on the street".
Meanwhile it has emerged almost half of the government's claimed £5 per head per year for cycling, £107m, was spent by Transport for London, while Oxfordshire spent just 25p per person per year on cycling between 2011-2014.
- Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy becomes law this week
The CTC's Sam Jones said: "There is real concern about what is going to happen because we have got Local Sustainable Transport Funding and that's running out in April next year, so that is half a year where there will be no investment at all except in eight cities and London.
"There is a funding cliff coming up which could stop the great momentum which is being built. If I was a cycle planner and I wasn't in one of those eight cities I would be looking for a new job because come April unless more funding comes along I'm going to be on the street."
Jones said once the money comes back it will be a case of rebuilding lost momentum and recruiting or retraining for skills lost in the interim.
The CTC learned from the DfT that of the £222.7m the government claims it spent on cycling in 2014-15 almost half, £107m, was spent in London by Transport for London. Via Freedom of Information requests CTC learned that aside from improvements to Oxford's Plain Roundabout, paid for by cycle city ambition money, the average spend on cycling in Oxfordshire County Council between 2011 and 2014 was 25p per person per year.
Jones said: "London's taking the big steps and should be applauded for it, but it seems a bit rich [the DfT] saying this is what we are spending across the board when that is not true. There's places missing out, and with the funding gap they will be missing out even more."
Earlier this year Cycling Minister, Robert Goodwill, said: "The Prime Minister has made it clear he wants to see a cycling revolution in this country.
"In terms of government spending, we had a situation where we were spending £2 per head on cycling and in the last five years that has increased to £5 per head."
