Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 May 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 17 May 2011. It was answered by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Commuters

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to promote Walk to Work Week to commuters.

Answer: The coalition Government are committed to supporting sustainable travel initiatives, including walking and cycling. Given that half of all car journeys are under five miles there would be improvements to health, air quality and traffic congestion if more of these journeys were undertaken either on foot, bike, or by public transport.Our new Local Sustainable Transport Fund has made £560 million available to local transport authorities to fund schemes that create growth and cut carbon, including those which incentivise walking.On 12 May I walked to work with Living Streets as part of Walk to Work week. Many members of staff at the Department of Transport and across Whitehall have also taken the opportunity to walk to work.We are also encouraging staff to think about how they can travel and work differently as part of our preparations for reducing our travel during the Olympics next summer.

Secondary information