So, how has the Budget gone down in the cycling world? The response has been... mixed. Cycling UK gave credit to Labour for "recouping additional £100 million funding for cycling and walking infrastructure", but others have questioned if this goes far enough?
Critics of the new Labour budget, including Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, have expressed frustration at the discounted fuel duty, with some describing the funding allocated to cycling as a "drop in the ocean".
> Cycling UK lauds Rachel Reeves for recouping additional £100 million for cycling & walking in Autumn Budget, but "disappointed" with another fuel duty freeze
Transport journalist Carlton Reid said it is not the "unprecedented level of funding" in cycling that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh promised was coming after the election victory. "Meanwhile, motorists get yet another fuel duty freeze. Climate change anyone?" Reid asked.
One reply to Carlton's post on social media called it "staggering" that Boris Johnson "is still the first AND last Prime Minister to do anything for cycling". Another said yesterday's Budget had "absolutely shafted active travel".
Harry Gray from Walk Ride Greater Manchester called the £100m "a slap in the face".
"A single junction can cost £1.6bn - we are talking about change in the bottom of the pocket being spent on walking and cycling," he wrote. "Gear Change under Boris Johnson had us up at £300m a year. As a side note, I've heard word on the grapevine that the £500m pothole funds will be available for local gov to spend on active travel too. Also, we are not clear if Greater Manchester and West Midlands are included in the £100m because of devolution.
"Alongside the freeze on fuel duty, this isn't the ambitious budget we were expecting."
London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner Will Norman said the £100m was "great to see", although Donnachadh McCarthy, the founder of Stop Killing Cyclists and director at Climate Media Coalition, replied saying he was surprised to see Norman's assessment and suggesting it was "better to stay quiet".
"Another £5.7b giveaway to car sector," he wrote. "£0.1b 'extra' for cycling is the same old breadcrumbs that will NOT build a national cycle network needed for health, kids safety, climate & pollution reduction."
Any more thoughts on the Budget? Get them in the comments and we'll share some later...
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And when talking about pointless MGIFs...
https://youtu.be/S7enDsD5bpc
"Mum settles legal action over air pollution death"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yx6leg4nqo
Ironically, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is against LTNs.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/appalling-councils-f...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ella-adookissidebrah-rep...
Cycling will be more dangerous due to council clampdowns, say campaigners (Gruniaad)
Critics of cycling bans in city centres say they unfairly punish cyclists and push them on to congested roads
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/oct/31/cycling-clampdowns-city-cou...
For me - and nothing to do with cycling - the most depressing transport thing is to increase the bus fare cap at the same time as freezing fuel duty, not even reversing the emergency 5p cut. That cut was brought in because of rising petrol prices; it's currently about 30p less per litre than it was at that point. There is no justification for prioritising keeping that now unneeded cut over bus journeys.
I share a number of the frustrations about the budget.
As an EV driver I got a very unwelcome letter on Wednesday telling me in effect that the government doesn't make enough in VED from taxing petrol and diesel vehicles so I would now have to pay VED at the current normal tier (i.e. £190 per year). Meanwhile, people who bought dirty diesels through the 00s and early 10s under the "old" VED system will be paying a fraction of that (it was £20 on my 2010 A-class). So whilst it is necessary to levy VED on my vehicle which doesn't emit anything in order to raise funds, we aren't willing to tax the people that actually do the f-ing emmissions. Its very frustrating.
More interestingly, until you realise how little it is, was the extra money for road maintenance - however £500m vs the c. £16bn to fix all the pothole is again a drop in the ocean. But its alright, we can continue to fund motorists to the tune of £5bn plus per year.
Just imagine what we could do with £5bn - one obvious example is that that's the roads across the country being meaningfully less shit within 3 years - with knock on benefits to people property not getting trashed by poor quality infrastructre. And then at least when the motorists yell about paying for the roads they might have a bit more of a leg to stand on!
EV's are heavier, create more particulates and road damage. Not excusing the ridiculous budget of course.
I don't think the particulate bit is true. Regenerative breaking means there are not creating brake dust.
I'm with Carlton on the budget - such a tiny amount of money to allocate to the most effective investment we have. I was hoping that Labour might be forward-looking, but they're just looking backwards at the impossible personal motor car dream that the manufacturers spent a lot of time and money advertising.
It's symptomatic of the system we have that we 'laud' breadcrumbs.
I was expecting fuel duty to be raised, it's an ideal time, world oil prices are low, pump prices are low too so banging up duty would've been lower impact than it was last year when petrol and diesel were over £1.50/l.
As a whole, the budget was 'more of the same' with no account taken of the elephant on a skateboard thundering towards us in the form of climate change and environmental breakdown.
Same happens to me all the time, riding or driving, if I keep a safe driving distance (2-3 sec.) between me and the vehicle ahead, it never fails, another driver will pass and occupy that little space!