Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) cities and (b) towns include under represented groups when planning cycling infrastructure in England and Wales.

The Government’s plans to promote cycling and walking are set out in the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017. The Strategy’s ambition is to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey. The Strategy includes a commitment to monitor the uptake of cycling by age, gender, ethnicity and mobility.

The Department for Transport recognises that the take-up of cycling is lower among some groups than others. For some under-represented groups, concerns about safety are a major barrier to taking up cycling. In November 2018 the Department published a full response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy safety review, which included a detailed list of actions to make cycling safer and hence more attractive to those who are not regular cyclists.

It is for Local Authorities to plan their cycling infrastructure (and to take account of their Public-Sector Equality Duty in doing so) and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans are an effective way of identifying infrastructure and routes with the greatest potential for increasing levels of cycling and walking, often by focusing on areas with under-represented groups.