Space For Cycling backed by Cheshire East

Cheshire East Council this week became the first local authority in the UK to formally pass a motion supporting the Space for Cycling campaign. The council will be allocating 8.5% of its total local transport budget to Active Travel for 2017/8.

The motion was put before the council by Cllr Sam Corcoran, and seconded by Cllr Howard Murray, and said: 'This Council supports the Space for Cycling process promoted by Cycling UK and commits to providing the funding to implement its cycle policy effectively'.

Space for Cycling is a national campaign by Cycling UK which aims to "create the condition where anyone can cycle anywhere" by lobbying local councils to create networks of cycle routes.

Concerns over Implementation

Commenting on the motion, Cycling UK's Space for Cyclingcampaigner, Tom Guha, said:

"We are ecstatic to see Cheshire East show such bold leadership regarding cycling. To see a county council allocate 8.5% of their local transport budget to active travel is a clear mark of what can be done when the political will exists. Cheshire East have decisively thrown down the gauntlet for other local authorities to get behind Space for Cycling.

"We do though have concerns over the timescales and the resources attached to the current plan. As Cllr Corcoran raised at the meeting, Cheshire East currently has just one part-time member of staff, who has other priorities as well, working on cycling. And currently funding streams are set to run out after just one year. To truly make a success of the two motions passed yesterday, resources must be properly allocated and timescales have to be long-term".

You can download Cheshire East's Cycling Strategy Document here

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