The Monsal Trail in the Peak District has boosted cycling. Photo: Mick Garratt CC-BY-SA-2.0
Four English national parks will get a £16.8m boost to encourage cycling under measures announced by the UK Government.
The Peak District, Dartmoor, South Downs and New Forest authorities will further contribute a total of £9m towards schemes that include cycleways railway station links and family-friendly routes.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the Westminster Government was providing £77m overall to schemes involving eight major English cities and conurbations as well as looking at the possibility of a cycle path close to the route of the proposed second high-speed train line HS2.
The Peak District National Park Authority and partners in the Pedal Peak District project are chipping in with £2.5m to top up £5m allocated from central funds for four new cycleways.
Plans produced with Derbyshire County Council and other local authorities include: the White Peak Loop, 11 miles long; the Little Don Link, 12 miles; the Staffordshire Moorlands Link, 14 miles and the Little John Route, including the Hope Valley Link, which will be three miles long.
In Dartmoor, £4.4m and a local contribution of £3m will be used for major improvements to 93 miles of cycleways, with a further 86 miles benefitting from smaller upgrades such as improved signs. The focus of the scheme is new family-friendly routes to and through the park, supported by cycling hubs and provisions for access by those with limited mobility.
England’s newest national park in the South Downs will get Department for Transport cash of £3.8m and will contribute a further £1.3m for leisure cycling facilities for the 5 million inhabitants of the park.
The Government wants to encourage cycling
The scheme will improve access to the national ark from major rail stations. 55km of new routes will be built across England’s most densely populated national park.
Trevor Beattie, chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “This investment is designed to provide a high-quality cycling experience for cyclists of all abilities, and to complement and give access to the existing network of advisory and off-road routes.
“The national park authority has many plans to create new and safer routes, both for commuters and for people cycling for pleasure. Now we have the money to put those plans into practice.”
The New Forest will receive £3.6m from the Government and will add £2.2m for a new network of cycle docking stations that will allow people to cycle between attractions, communities and transport hubs, supported by a new family cycling centre next to Brockenhurst station.
Julian Johnson, chairman of the New Forest National Park Authority, said: ‘This scheme will mean that leaving your car at home and choosing to cycle to and around the national park will be much more appealing for families.
“This is good news for our health, in reducing traffic and for protecting this nationally-important landscape.”
The Government said a feasibility study into a cycle path broadly following the HS2 route will look into how existing footpaths or cycle tracks could be joined up or upgraded to create a single route between London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
David Cameron: wants to see cycling soar. Photo: Moritz Hager/World Economic Forum CC-BY-SA-2.0
It said this could give benefits to people living along the HS2 route as well as encouraging tourism.
“The study and its conclusions would be separate from ongoing work on HS2. This will give plans for cycle paths the flexibility to work to their own timetable.
“It will not be part of the HS2 Bill processes with no land-take or cost impacts,” a Government spokesperson added.
Other areas getting a cash boost for cycling are Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Norwich and Leeds.
Yorkshire will host part of the Tour de France next year.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Following our success in the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Tour de France, British cycling is riding high.
“Now we want to see cycling soar. Our athletes have shown they are among the best in the world and we want to build on that, taking our cycling success beyond the arena and on to the roads, starting a cycling revolution which will remove the barriers for a new generation of cyclists.
“This government wants to make it easier and safer for people who already cycle as well as encouraging far more people to take it up and business, local government, developers, road users and the transport sector all have a role to play in helping to achieve this.”
PaulB
12 August 2013Pity then that walkers miss out AGAIN!
Margaret
13 August 2013Yep - bikes seem to be the flavour of the times.
As I wrote in an other post, just when did it become OK to cycle on footpaths and on pavements in the town?
John s
13 August 2013Unless these paths link up with each other they are of little or no use. Lets face it that if the government want people out of their cars and on to bikes then they need to give paths to WALKERS and cyclist. I know that if I have an alternative to get from Birmingham to London and can cycle it I would definately have a go it may kill me though. They should have even made it possible for to have food outlets or rest lodges. on the way. You can get from Birmingham to London on a barge and all the paths regardless of whether walking or cycling need to give priority to these modes of transport. Cycle ways and walk ways may even help charities as far more may want to participate in such events if safer.
Motorways for cyclists and walkers.
TrailblazerOutdoors Andy
16 August 2013Yes, the Government loves bike. The tax break really helped and the retailer network for the good stuff is very well run, (unlike Outdoor, which get worse with the race to the bottom).
To be honest, the profile of biking is very high as the sport has done so well, so I don’t hold it against them. Its good to see an industry encouraging the general public into exorcise, given the massive physical and health problems the nation is presently experiencing, (and going forward is going to get much worse).
We need a campaign to improve people’s awareness of walking and its benefits. There is the "Britain on Foot" campaign, but this increasingly seems like a lame duck. As ever in walking etal, the title is ambiguous and means little to people.
I think we need a better hook line, with meaning and to me it’s “Walk to Health”. The research out there at the moment supporting the physical and mental health benefits of walking is growing. We need to encourage people to get out there and walk and help with their ever growing problems.
Also, more needs to be done so people understand their rights to access the outdoors.
Finally, the media needs to get behind walking and outdoors sports again. But that might stop people watching telly, (which is part of the problem in the first place!)
What do you all think?
"Walk to Health"??
Margaret
17 August 2013All very commendable but who is shouting for poor old mountaineering?
Mountaineering (which includes hill walking) is always being 'used' for something; to get the nation fit, for education, for tourism or to keep particular industries solvent etc.
Everyone and their dog seems to want to 'use' it for some reason or other.
Who is standing up for the simple activity of mountaineering.