§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spends annually on(a) road building, (b) light rapid transits and (c) cycleways. [39771]
§ Mr. WattsIn 1994–95, the Department provided capital resources of £1.9 billion for constructing trunk roads and supporting the construction of local authority roads, and £60.2 million for light rapid transit schemes.
The majority of the Department's expenditure on cycleways is included in the overall capital settlement for local transport. With the exception of the specific grant the Department is providing this year for the London cycle network, provision for cycleways forms part of local authorities' wider allocation for highways and traffic management schemes. The exact sum spent is at the discretion of the local authorities, and the Department does not collect figures centrally. In addition, many of the Highways Agency's trunk road schemes include measures to improve the safety of cyclists, and the agency is committed to helping provide safe and convenient crossings of trunk roads by the national cycle network.