26 April 2010
Newsletter: Active Travel
Priority for Scottish Spending ReviewBy John WebsterWith competing interests vying for funds in the upcoming Scottish Spending Review, Transform Scotland welcomed the report from the Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee inquiry which endorsed the view of Transform Scotland, Sustrans and other sustainable transport groups that in order to significantly increase Scottish levels of walking and cycling, government spending priorities must change in favour of these healthy, sustainable forms of transport.
Key recommendations from the joint Transform Scotland/Sustrans submission were:
• 10% of the total transport budget should be transferred to the Government’s Sustainable Transport Team
• Part of the funding should be ring-fenced for walking and cycling so that long-term planning is possible
• Ambitious targets should be set for modal shifts to walking and cycling
• Ensure that planning in future focuses on equitable access, shorter distances and a reduction in the need to travel
• Address skills shortages in all relevant areas
• Enforce traffic law to tackle poor behaviour in drivers and cyclists
• The creation of a National Active Travel Plan that incorporates existing policies and allows an integrated approach to be adopted in future years
The Parliament’s report, published on the 26th March, concluded that "active travel has huge potential to benefit the health of the people of Scotland as well as contributing to meeting Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets" but that this won't be achieved without "ambitious increases in resources" and "stronger, more effective and sustained leadership" from the Scottish Government.
Prioritising active travel has the potential to make major contributions towards meeting targets on alleviating congestion, improving public health and social justice in addition to offering huge environmental benefits ranging from a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, to enhancing our cities by making them more attractive to walkers and cyclists.
To its credit, the Scottish Government has set targets for increasing cycling as a mode of transport but has yet to provide funding for major improvements in cycle infrastructure. Many continental countries such as Denmark, The Netherlands and Germany have ‘greened’ their cities over two or more decades and now have cycle journey shares of 20-35%, due to the provision of safe cycle networks throughout their cities and linking up towns and villages. Sadly, despite all the evidence from Europe, in Scotland it is still the case that 99% of the transport budget is geared towards motorised transport – completely at odds with the aspirations set by our politicians!
The key to promoting active forms of travel is proper long-term planning with walking and cycling put at the top of the hierarchy of transport modes. Much of the requirements are common sense whereby paths, lanes and other facilities are well planned and connected; roads and crossings are safe and convenient for pedestrians and cyclists; street furniture such as benches, planters and shelters provide a pleasant and inviting environment for pedestrians; cycle parking is provided at origins and destinations, and all facilities are integrated into a seamless journey – to school, work, shops and recreation.
One major change in the law that would reset priorities and lead to a behavioural change would be to put the responsibility for road accidents involving walkers or cyclists onto the driver of the vehicle, as is common in many countries. This means that the walker or cyclist is assumed to be the innocent party unless it can be proven otherwise and, for example, gives the cyclist priority at road junctions.
The full Transform Scotland’s response can be found
here.
The full report is available for download
here.