Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for road and public transport use of his target to increase cycling and walking to 50 per cent of short journeys in towns and cities by 2030; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that target on (a) carbon dioxide emissions, (b) pollutant emissions, (c) urban congestion, (d) road safety and (e) ill-health due to physical inactivity.

The Department has not yet made a detailed assessment of the wider impacts of meeting the 2030 vision set out in Gear Change. These and other matters will be considered as part of the development of the next Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) in due course. The impacts will depend on what journeys are replaced by cycling and walking journeys, which is likely to vary from one place to another. The Department’s existing CWIS active travel investment models explore different scenarios for increasing cycling and walking and their impacts, including those related to carbon dioxide emissions, urban congestion, road safety and health. These are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy-active-travel-investment-models .