Andy McDonald, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, has pledged that a Labour government would spend £10 per head annually on cycling and walking.
Yesterday evening (Monday 25 September), Cycling UK and Bricycles organised a bike ride in support outside the Labour Party conference in Brighton.
The rally was attended by roughly fourty people campaigning for better cycling infrastructure; this included Stephen Morgan MP (a member of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group), and the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Andy McDonald MP.
At the event, Mr McDonald announced that a Labour government would be committed to spending £10 per head on cycling and walking. The £10 per head figure echoes the amount recommended in the Get Britain Cycling Report, produced by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr McDonald said:
“Our country is blighted by illegal air pollution, crippling congestion and a public health crisis. Cycling and walking can holistically address all these issues in an efficient, cost-effective way.
Labour is committed to ensuring that potential is met and is committed to revolutionising our transport system through cycling and walking.”
Stephen Morgan, Labour MP for Portsmouth South and Honorary Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, said:
“Labour wants to see cycle use sky rocket, so we can address the many challenges that currently riddle our transport system. I will continue to work with MPs from across the House to ensure the full potential of Space for Cycling can be met.”
Tom Guha, Space for Cycling Campaigner for Cycling UK, said:
“This is a landmark announcement from the Labour Party. Around the country, local political leaders have been doing their best to invest properly in cycling to unlock the many benefits it can bring.
However, it is national funding like this that is necessary if we are to see the cycling revolution we so desperately need.”
