The Department for Transport’s decision earlier this year to slash funding for walking and cycling schemes can be challenged, the appropriately-named High Court judge Mr Justice Jay has ruled.
The action was brought by campaign group Transport Action Network (TAN).
Transport secretary Mark Harper introduced swingeing cuts to his department’s active travel budget in March.
$845 million was approved for active travel in the government’s 2021 Spending Review. $273 million had been spent to date before Harper announced the cuts.
Harper said $119 million would be spent over the remaining two years, which, taken at face value, would be a cut of $452 million.
However, the full amount of the cut was not clear because in a Department for Transport press release, Mr. Harper said: “The government is committed to supporting all forms of transport and is investing more than £3 billion into active travel up to 2025, despite the efficiency savings needed due to global financial pressures. This includes existing funding for active travel schemes such as through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) and National Highways to level up access to active travel across the country.”
According to the Walking and Cycling Alliance (WCA), a body made up of cycling and walking organizations including British Cycling, Living Streets, Ramblers and Sustrans, Mr. Harper’s announcement meant a two-thirds cut to promised capital investment in walking and cycling.
“It is heartbreaking to see vital active travel budgets wiped away in England, at the exact time when they are most essential to U.K. economic, social and environmental prospects,” said a WCA statement at the time.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the active travel budget has seen such extensive cuts at a time where we need to really make progress on decarbonisation and when people need cheap transport choices,” added a joint statement by Conservative MP Selaine Saxby and Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, co-chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking.
They said: “We understand that there are pressures on the public purse but active travel schemes frequently have much higher benefit:cost ratios than road building schemes, many of which are still going ahead despite falling value for money for taxpayers.”
In another joint statement, Andy Street, the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands and the West Midlands Cycling and Walking Commissioner Adam Tranter wrote to active travel minister Jesse Norman urging the DfT to withdraw the cuts.
They said they were “deeply concerned” about the cuts.
“The £710 million approved for active travel in the 2021 Spending Review was hugely welcomed by the West Midlands,” started the letter.
“However, yesterday’s announcement represents a reduction of £380m from that commitment. This is a very deep cut at a time where we urgently need to decarbonise, provide people with low-cost transport options, and work to improve the nation’s health.
“Given the current economic challenges we appreciate that difficult spending decisions have to be made, especially in the DfT’s capital programme. However, what seems incredibly difficult to justify is the disproportionate cut in the Active Travel budget.
“No other transport schemes can be delivered as quickly and cost-effectively as active travel, with benefit-cost ratios of 4.7 to 32.8 for cycling schemes compared to 3.1 to 5.1 for road schemes.”
Regarding today’s High Court decision a DfT spokesperson said: “We remain committed to our ambitious active travel targets and stand ready to defend the Secretary of State’s decision at the hearing in due course.”
The spokesperson added: “We have already done more than any other Government to promote active travel, investing over £3 billion in active travel over the period to 2025 and Our recent Network North announcement will also see more funding going to local authorities to take forward local schemes in their areas which could include walking and cycling schemes.”
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