Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, has reacted quickly to the government’s announcement yesterday that it was suspending all transport projects not currently under contract as part of its spending review, saying that it should focus on smarter travel options that provide the best return on investment.
The government’s decision puts £1.6 billion worth of projects at risk ahead of a financial review that will take place in the autumn following a joint review of spending by the Treasury and the DfT. Immediate cuts have been made in the road safety budget as well as money put aside to address urban congestion, to the tune, respectively, of £17.2 million and £7.9 million.
The Times quoted Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, who recently said he could never contemplate cycling in London, providing sharp contrast with his predecessor, keen cyclist Lord Adonis, as saying: “I am taking this action to ensure that no taxpayers’ money is spent unnecessarily on transport schemes that are now under review.”
He continued: “If we are to succeed in reducing the UK’s record budget deficit, it is vital that not a single penny is wasted and we get the maximum value for money for every project.”
Jason Torrance, Policy Manager at Sustrans, said: "As scrutiny on public spending is intensified we believe it is more important than ever that investment is focused on interventions that deliver high value for money, and benefits across Government.
"Large road schemes often have a return on investment of less than £2 for every £1 spent. But we believe there are better, smarter ways to spend money. The work of Sustrans consistently proves that helping people to use their cars less for short local journeys delivers multiple benefits: not least financially - using the government's own cost benefit system local walking and cycling schemes shows a return on investment of £15 to £33 for every pound spent."
For starters, she may have been standing behind the white line but her hand was sticking over it; secondly, riders may want to ride right on the...
Not my own but makes me laugh every time I remember it, a couple of years ago someone tweeted: "I'm off to watch the Tour of Britain roadside today...
Yes.
Royal Parks seem to be in cloud cuckoo land. Do they think that every other user of the park is studiously complying with the letter of the...
Does everyone realise that they can? I wonder how many actually take advantage of these tests.
Looks good. I always liked a low stack. I'm now reminiscing about my Dura Ace AX pedals: those AX Dyna Drive pedals had the lowest stack height of...
Probably means the National Police Chiefs Council https://www.npcc.police.uk/
This has all the hallmarks of an extra hostile takeover. Drive Stages into bankrupcy then get the bits Giant were interested in for a song.
Another zinger from Dumbrunner, although they got the news headline wrong, should be "Runner seriously injured in collision with BMW"
"Generic production techniques create generic bikes. Do you want generic?" And yet it's ended up looking just like one ofvthose generic bikes.