No extra cash for active travel in Scotland despite £2bn investment announced by UK Government

The investment is entirely previously announced money, meaning any additional funds for Scotland must be found in existing budgets.

At the weekend the normally busy Kelvin Way in Glasgow was populated by cyclists, children and people out exercising rather than its normal west end car traffic.

Those looking to fund active travel projects in Scotland will see no extra cash filter down from the UK Government despite the announcement of a £2bn investment.

On Saturday, transport secretary Grant Shapps announced plans including a £250m emergency active travel fund, part of an initial £2bn investment into active travel.

However, despite the announcement, no additional money will be filtered to the Scottish Government due to the cash coming from already allocated UK budgets earlier this year, meaning any Barnett Formula consequentials will have been included in the Scottish Government’s budget for 2020/21.

Some also hope the ban might prove to be a catalyst to move beyond a preferential treatment for cars in Glasgow post-lockdown.

This means any additional funding for active travel plans in Scotland’s biggest cities will have to be found from the Scottish Government or external funding.

In April, the Scottish transport minister Michael Matheson announced a £10m fund to pay for pop-up walking and cycling routes or temporary improvements to existing routes, also found from already announced budgets.

Some councils, such as Edinburgh City Council, have already announced wide-ranging planned changes to road layouts and active travel provision.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “In April we announced a package of support for local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) to design and implement temporary measures to support and encourage the increasing numbers of people who are walking, wheeling and cycling.

"With the capacity of public transport severely restricted, we need to look to alternatives such as active travel which is not only a good option when it comes to physical distancing, but a healthy alternative both for people and the planet.

"The announcement included 100% funding for local authorities to put in place temporary measures including pop-up cycle lanes and widening walkways, through a new ‘Spaces for People’ fund of up to £10 million pounds, administered by Sustrans and guidance on the use of existing legislation which gives local authorities powers to quickly implement temporary road reallocation measures.

"The Cabinet Secretary has since written to all local authorities and RTPs, encouraging them to come forward with bold and ambitious plans to implement temporary active travel measures. The City of Edinburgh Council has moved quickly on this. Our officials are engaged with Cosla to ensure the package is as flexible as possible to meet differing local needs."

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