Written question asked by Graham Stringer (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 June 2011. It was answered by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Cycling England

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to ensure that the work formerly carried out by Cycling England;

Answer: The Government are strongly committed to cycling, as was made clear in the coalition agreement.We see the encouragement of cycling and walking, along with improvements to public transport, as key to cutting carbon emissions and enhancing the quality of our urban areas.As announced in the Public Bodies Review, Cycling England ceased to exist after 31 March 2011.In January this year we published our White Paper on Local Transport: ““Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon—Making Sustainable Local Transport Happen””. Chapter 5 of the White Paper sets out what we are doing, and what local authorities can do, to support cycling.At the same time I announced the £560 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund, available to transport authorities outside London, large or small, rural or urban. Transport authorities themselves, working together with the communities they serve, have determined their own transport priorities in bidding to the Fund. The Department for Transport is currently assessing bids to the first tranche of the Fund, and I will be making announcements as planned later this summer. Many of the bids feature proposals featuring cycling.

Secondary information