Majority of the UK wants to see a reallocation of funds to improve walking, cycling and public transport, survey finds
1st June 2024 12:45 - Transport and Distribution
The majority of the UK wants to see a reallocation of funds to improve walking, cycling and public transport: A recent survey from Sustrans has found that 56% of people in the UK want to see a shift in investment from road building schemes to improving routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
The findings come from Sustrans’ 2023 Walking and Cycling Index, a survey which looks at what people think about active travel in 23 different urban areas across the UK and Ireland. Sustrans is a walking, wheeling and cycling charity and custodian of the National Cycle Network. The organisation is calling for all political parties to prioritise active travel and public transport this election year.
Further findings from the index revealed that half of the respondents want to walk more and over forty percent (43%) want to cycle more. A third (33%) want to make more regular use of public transport too. In terms of driving, just 15% want to drive more compared to just under a quarter (24%) who want to drive less, further supporting the increased interest in, and demand of, active travel.
Public Requests
The research from Sustrans also showed that 65% of the UK public support the idea of banning vehicles from parking on the pavement, and 58% would like to see an increase in protected cycle paths, even if it removed space for cars on the road. Exactly half of the respondents also said they would support the installation of ‘School Streets’, which would see the closure of streets directly outside of schools during drop-off and pick-up times. However, just under a quarter (24%) disagreed with this street closure scheme.
Xavier Brice, CEO of Sustrans, has this to say about the findings: “The evidence shows that people want to have the choice to walk, cycle, and use public transport. Moving forwards isn’t about forcing people out of their cars. It is about making it easy for people to travel how they would actually prefer to, which also improves public health, the economy and our environment.”
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