Recommendation 21

We asked DfT why there had not been more focus on areas where integration was key to encouraging active travel. DfT told us that it had prioritised activity and investment on the areas where it felt it could have maximum impact on increasing rates of active travel. It explained that this included focusing on delivering segregated cycle routes in an attempt to address the safety barrier to people cycling. This activity was prioritised above integrating active travel with other transport modes such as rail, buses or trams. As a result, in places like Sheffield, we noted that it is not possible to take a bike onto a tram, limiting the options for how people can complete an end-to-end journey using these modes of transport. Concerns around a lack of safe bike parking facilities at train stations is one area where people may be dissuaded from cycling to a station to catch a train, and we asked DfT whether it had provided grants to increase safe parking facilities at stations. ATE and DfT told us that grants had been provided and furthermore that when local authorities bid for active travel funding, they may choose to spend some of the funds on cycle parking.50