Cycling is a good investment, say official reports
On the same day as it published its draft Cycling Delivery Plan consultation report, the DfT released two other documents designed to persuade local authorities of the economic sense of investing in cycling and walking:
This report summarises current UK evidence to quantify the impact of investment in cycling and walking schemes, found to yield an average benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) of around 6:1. It also includes a step-by-step illustration, based on a hypothetical example that practitioners can follow to help them make a persuasive economic case for investing in cycling or walking.
The Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF, England) has been awarding money to local authorities for sustainable travel projects since 2011. Now closed, the fund has supported 96 packages in 77 authorities, a good number of which focused on cycling. According to this report, the LSTF is helping to create employment, potentially between 4,700 and 6,150 jobs per year.
Source: CTC
