Transform Scotland - For Sustainable Transport

1 December 2009

Groups call for 10% of all transport spending to be invested in walking and cycling

Sustrans Scotland [1] and Transform Scotland [2] have today published their evidence to the Scottish Parliament's active travel inquiry. [3] [4]

The groups are calling for 10% of all Scottish transport expenditure to be spent on active travel. The recommendation is in accordance with the demand of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) and more than a hundred other organisations across the UK [5].

Paul Tetlaw, Chair of Transform Scotland, said:

"We want to see a national strategic programme of investment in the most sustainable forms of transport – walking and cycling.

"Only yesterday, we saw the Scottish Government admit that  Scotland's obesity crisis was still worsening. [6] Walking and cycling can make a major contribution towards improving levels of public health in Scotland. The Danes and the Dutch have cycle journey shares of 20-25%, which puts Scotland’s 1% to shame – and it is surely not accidental that these countries also have obesity levels which are less than half of Scotland’s.

"We believe that there should be a programmed increase in the funds made available for walking and cycling so that by 2014, that 10% of the total transport budget is devoted to active travel. [7] If this doesn't happen then we can't see how the Scottish Government's aspiration that 10% of all journeys be made by bike by 2020."


Notes:

[1] Sustrans Scotland

Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. Our vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. Every day we are working on practical, innovative ways of dealing with the transport challenges that affect us all. See <http://www.sustrans.org.uk> for details.

[2] Transform Scotland

Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance, bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport groups - see <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/our-members.aspx> for details.

[3] Active travel inquiry.

See <http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/ticc/inquiries/ActiveTravelViews.htm>.

[4] Joint evidence paper

This is available for download at <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/GetFile.aspx?ItemId=216>.

[5] Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH)

See 'Take Action on Active Travel' document available at <http://www.adph.org.uk/news.php>. This report has received the support of over 100 organisations from across the UK, including both of our organisations. Supporters of the report include such groups as  the Institute of Highway Engineers, Royal Institute of British Architects, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Royal College of Physicians, Sustainable Development Commission and many other prestigious and professional bodies central to public health, environment and transport policy and practice.

[6] Obesity crisis

BBC 'Figures show Scotland's 'obesity epidemic' - <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8384429.stm>.

[7] "2014"

This is the end-point of the next Government spending review period (2011-14).