Minister of State for Transport (): In
2017 the Government published the first statutory Cycling and
Walking Infrastructure Strategy (CWIS 1) which covered the period
2016/17 to 2020/21. Since it was produced, the Secretary of State
and the Prime Minister have significantly expanded the ambition and
funding of the Government's cycling and walking programme,
launching the Gear Change white paper in Summer 2020 with £2bn of
additional funding over this parliament for active travel, the
largest amount of dedicated spending ever committed to increasing
cycling and walking in this country. Significant delivery on the
ground has already occurred.
Because of the pandemic, the multi-year Spending Review planned
for autumn 2020 was postponed. Instead, as with most other
budgets, a single-year settlement for cycling and walking
reflecting the ambitions set out in Gear Change has been set for
the year 2021/22. The Government will set out plans for future
years, including future funding for cycling and walking beyond
2021-22, at the Spending Review later this year.
I am today informing Parliament of my intention to publish as
soon as possible thereafter a second four-year statutory Cycling
and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 2), reflecting the new
policies in Gear Change and the multi-year funding settlement.
The Government will consult on CWIS 2, with relevant
stakeholders, ahead of its publication, as required by the
legislation.
