§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to encourage people to cycle more. [155464]
§ Mr. HillThe Government are committed to tripling the number of cycling trips from a 2000 base by 2010 and quadrupling them from a 1996 base by 2012. £8.4 billion of Government funding has been provided to local authorities in the recent local transport settlement. This will help to promote sustainable transport measures, including cycling. The cycling strategies included in the authorities' local transport plans should identify gaps in the local cycle network and result in improvements to the cycling infrastructure. Initial monitoring suggests that the strategies will result in considerable additional provision for cycling.
We are also actively marketing the main message of the National Cycling Strategy. Early outcomes are the launch of an NCS website and production of a promotional video. We are also currently running a series of cycling seminars throughout England aimed at local authorities, major employers and health and education practitioners.