The Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Cycling Group has written to Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP supporting our budget proposal; many Spokes members have emailed their MSPs and 260 people have supported FOE’s budget e-action…
A final debate and vote on the 16/17 Scottish budget is scheduled for Wednesday 24 February. If you have not emailed your MSPs, please do so now!!
What the draft budget does …
- Trunk road spending rises by 18% to £820m
- Rail spending is cut by 7%
- Active travel [AT] spending at £39m is similar to last year’s total, just 1.9% of the £2215m total transport budget …
- … but actual AT investment by councils is likely to fall because of the way the government AT funds are to be allocated in 16/17.
Background articles …
- The draft budget – summary of cycling/walking impacts
- Why actual AT investment, by Councils and others, is likely to suffer
- Our 16/17 budget proposal –> transfer 1% of the trunk roads budget to active travel
- What you say … What MSPs say
Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Cycling Group … letter to John Swinney MSP
Extract from letter…
The proposal to transfer 1% of the £820m trunk roads budget, as explained in the referenced document, would overcome both the above concerns, enabling the momentum which has built up in cycling provision, expertise and ambition to be maintained and strengthened in the coming year.
A shift from trunk roads to cycling, even of this small percentage, would also be a public indication of the government’s commitment to sustainable travel, to public health and to climate targets.
What you can do NOW …
With the final budget debate and vote expected on 24 Feb, please act now!!
- Email your MSPs … ask them to support our budget proposal and speak to their party Transport and Finance spokespeople about it. See what other people have already written.
- Take part in the FOE e-action … to contact Finance Secretary John Swinney MSP