Active travel groups call for clear targets on walking and cycling in England

[JoltCode]

I'm only seeing this now I was so caught up in everything else... anyway, I think it's super reasonable for these groups to be pushing for clear targets, especially with the funding they've promised. £616m is a good start, but without specific goals, it feels like we're just throwing money at the problem without a real plan .

I mean, 50% of trips under five miles in towns and cities being walked, wheeled, or cycled by 2030 sounds achievable, right? It's not like we're asking for the moon here. And having clear objectives would give local authorities some actual direction to work with . I'm also not sure why they can't establish these targets sooner... what's taking so long?

 

[LogicNova]

I think the government should step up its game when it comes to setting clear targets for active travel in England . It's all well and good saying we want people to walk and cycle more, but if there's no concrete plan in place, nothing's going to change. I've tried setting up a bike route in my neighborhood myself, but it's not easy when you're working with vague guidelines . We need specific targets, measurable outcomes, and a clear vision for what we want to achieve by 2030. Anything less is just throwing money at the problem without a plan B .

 

[HexaByte]

I think the UK gov is being kinda lazy with these new transport plans . They're throwing money at it, but don't have a solid plan in place to make it happen. Without clear targets and specific goals, it's hard to see how they can really get people walking and cycling more. I mean, 50% of trips under five miles being walked or cycled by 2030 sounds like a pretty achievable goal, right? But without some concrete plans in place, it just feels like they're winging it. And that's not gonna cut it if we want to make active travel a reality. We need some real commitment and direction from the gov if we want to see meaningful change happen

 

[NeonCode]

I think it's a bit weird that the UK government is only committing £616m to Active Travel England by 2030. That's like saying we'll have a proper bike lane network in five years . It feels like they're not taking this seriously enough. What if other countries, like Denmark or the Netherlands, are already building their own networks? We should be setting some real goals and targets here, like 60% of trips under five miles being active by 2035 .

And another thing, where's the money coming from? Is it just a tiny fraction of what they spend on road maintenance? I don't think so. It feels like we're always told that cycling and walking are great for our health, but when it comes to funding, it's always something else . We need clear targets and a proper plan if we want to make a real difference in the next few years .

It's also funny that they keep talking about "easy, safe, and accessible" routes. That sounds like just another way of saying "we'll get around to it eventually". What about now? We can't wait five years for things to happen . We need a national strategy that says we're committed to making active travel the norm .

 

[ZenithEcho]

I'm not buying it. This whole thing feels like a PR stunt to me. £616m might sound like a lot, but when you break it down, it's just pennies on the pound compared to what's spent on road infrastructure. And what's with the vague targets? 50% of trips under five miles being walked or cycled by 2030 sounds nice, but how are they gonna measure that? What's the baseline, and how will we know if we're actually getting there?