Funding for Skypath Welcomed But Cycling Budget Needs Boost

Thursday, 13 June 2013, 4:35 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

GOVT FUNDING FOR SKYPATH WELCOMED BUT CYCLING BUDGET NEEDS BIG BOOST
Press release - Generation Zero
Thursday 13 June - For immediate release

Youth climate change organisation Generation Zero has congratulated the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) following yesterday’s announcement of $193,000 of funding towards the SkyPath cycleway, but says much more is required from the Government to give cycling in New Zealand a fair go.

The funding will come from the MfE’s Community Environment Fund and be used to investigate the feasibility of the proposed SkyPath, which would provide walking and cycling access across the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

“We’re stoked that the MfE recognises the great potential for the SkyPath to reduce carbon emissions and help address congestion in Auckland,” said Generation Zero spokesperson Paul Young.

“But this raises the obvious question of why worthy cycling projects like this are missing out on standard Government transport funding and being forced to apply to special funds and look at charging people to use the facility.”

The SkyPath’s estimated cost is $28 million and its website states “the NZ Transport Agency advises they are unable to provide construction funding for the facility due to the budget limitations for walking and cycling imposed by the Government Policy Statement.”

The Government has allocated $53 million for all walking and cycling projects nationwide for the 2012-2015 period: just 0.6% of the National Land Transport Fund.

Official information received by Generation Zero from the NZTA shows demand for funding was more than double this, with applications totalling $122 million (SkyPath not included).

In the UK, the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group published a report in April recommending that more of the transport budget be spent on supporting cycling, “at a rate initially set to at least £10 per person per year, and increasing as cycling levels increase.”

In New Zealand, this would be equivalent to at least $87 million per year.

Mr Young: “This shows we need to boost government funding for cycleways by two to five times to keep up with growing demand and with where other countries are heading.

“It would only require a tiny slice of the $1 billion or so the Government is spending on its Roads of National Significance programme each year.

“Getting more people cycling is a low-hanging fruit for tackling climate change - it’s cheap, it’s immediate, it makes us healthier, and it makes us wealthier by reducing oil imports and road maintenance costs. It’s win-win-win.”

ENDS

More information:
SkyPath website: http://www.skypath.org.nz/
“Get Britain Cycling” report from UK All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group: http://allpartycycling.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/get-britain-cycling1.pdf

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