Agenda item

Considered –

The written report of the Corporate Director – Business and Environmental Services Chief Executive to update the committee of the delivery of active travel schemes across North Yorkshire. 

Louise Anne Neale presented the report. 

Louise Anne Neale noted that in relation to walking and cycling the national policy background had changed quite considerably.  The focus from the Department for Transport was moving very much more towards providing active travel infrastructure, and this began in 2017 when the DfT launched its cycling and walking investment strategy.  Within that strategy was set out the need for local cycling and walking infrastructure plans. 

She went on to set out subsequent key policy announcements and the subsequent impact of the covid-19 pandemic generating new funding streams including the emergency Active Travel Fund and Active Travel Fund 2, which the County Council put in bids for and received funding for some of the projects put forward.   Active Travel Fund 3 had been announced recently.  The County Council was in a good position in applying to this and future funding streams because it now had detailed plans already worked up to a level of detail that most councils did not have.  Further funding was expected from the Department of Transport.

2030 was a key milestone date as that was when there was scheduled to be a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.  It was expected that funding would be available to local authorities to provide other modes of transport, as well as helping people to move to electric vehicles.  The active travel agenda was likely to remain a priority and probably even more so than when the most recent lot local transport plan was written back in 2016. 

The County Council would be reviewing its local transport plan as well to ensure that it was up-to-date, setting out its aspirations for providing for walking and cycling and linking into the changing policy environment.

Members made the following comments:

County Councillor David Jeffels referred to the significant increase in the number of cyclists on the road and related concerns about cyclist putting themselves at risk because of the volume of traffic.  He asked if there were means to extract more funding from house builders to provide safe routes for cyclists.  It would be useful if there was a survey of schemes that could be introduced beyond those already funded to date.  He asked Louise Anne-Neale whether she thought that North Yorkshire County Council should put more pressure on developers at the present time to do this. 

Louise Anne Neale replied in the affirmative.  She said that there was a need to start looking at all of the ways that the council can fund these schemes, and one of those will definitely be through working with developers to firstly make sure that their developments include active travel infrastructure.  Linked to this would be to establish where the council can work with developers to tap into funding to deliver offsite infrastructure as well. She was currently working with colleagues in the development management team so that they are aware of the importance of active travel schemes being part of development plans. Further to consultation last year 300 schemes had been suggested.   A lot of funding would be required to deliver those which the council did not have so there was a need to tap into other funding sources including from developers.

Cllr.Paul Haslam said that not only should developers be providing funding for active travel but within their plans North Yorkshire County Council should be making sure that the infrastructure and the streets in new developments promoted active travel such as the inclusion of footpaths and cycleways, including connecting local schools.  However in order to make sure people took up active travel modes of transport it was more than just about providing cash; it also required behavioral change.  Active travel policy also needed to be part of the county council’s decarbonisation policy.  This was because in order to have an impact upon carbon emissions, what was required was a shift in the type of transport that people used, such as people moving away from driving to walking or cycling or using public transport.  If cycle paths were introduced but few people used them, there would be no impact on reducing carbon emissions.  He pointed out that whilst there were in the region of 17,000 schoolchildren in Harrogate and Knaresborough, only 4% cycled to school and yet from surveys undertaken 50% of all school aged children would like to cycle to school.  If there was an increase to 50% and over of all school-aged children not travelling to school by car, this would have a dramatic impact in relation to creating a cleaner environment.  There should be an aspiration for the council to set a target figure for reducing car journeys in the county including targets for individual projects.  This would also help lever in funding by generating more public interest for projects if the council said for example this project could reduce x number of car journeys.  Another issue was choosing the right routes for active travel within a locality and linking up schemes to get a higher impact and better value for money.  He gave an example of a scheme in Knaresborough along the A59, which in his view would have been better routed away from the A59 and on to another road; this would have been safer and more likely to have had greater use.  He said that when he spoke to parents of pupils at the local schools, their priority was to choose the safest route to school, which was not necessarily the quickest route to school.

Louise Anne Neale replied that there was absolutely a need to make sure developers were delivering on their commitments and she referred to the relevant guidance that developers should be using.  This guidance was not simply about infrastructure that we as the local highway authority put in place but was also for developers.  She agreed with the other comments that County Councillor Paul Haslam had made about encouraging cultural change and was an aspect that Department for Transport was asking councils to include within their bids for Active Travel Fund three.

County Councillor Paul Haslam said there was a need to not just set out expectations to developers but also to inspect what the works carried out because without that presence some developers would not carry out the works.

County Councillor Roberta Swiers voiced concerns that whilst several housing schemes were scheduled in close proximity to each other within her division, the funding did not seem to be there for active travel routes to connect the villages affected.  What this meant was that the roads would be getting busier with road vehicles, which would put off people cycling or walking.  She said also that whilst at the planning stage developers would ‘talk the talk’, there was a need for them to be required to designate funding, for example to a separate pot of funding to ensure the schemes went ahead.

Louise Anne Neale mentioned that developers could be required as a part of a condition of the planning consent to put funding forward and this was an aspect that planning development management colleagues within the county council were increasingly working with developers to introduce.

The Chairman noticed that there was a public appetite for active travel schemes and this was backed by government.  Over the coming years, more government funding would be available including through devolved funding to local areas.  He asked if there was a list of programme works ready to put forward in anticipation of funding initiatives that came forward in the future.

Louise Anne Neale said that the local insight, local cycling and walking infrastructure plans were the council’s set of plans and included in them were designs with economic appraisals, so the council had all the information that was typically needed to put in a bid.  Limiting factors for the council would be the amount of funding that would be available to bid for, competition from other local authorities and the window of opportunity to spend the funding.

The Chairman asked if the county council joined up with Sustrans when putting forward cycleways.

Louise Anne Neale confirmed that this was the case and the council also provided comments on schemes put forward by Sustrans that the county council was not able to fund directly.

County Councillor Clive Pearson referred to a project within his division and asked for an update on when it would commence.

Louise Anne Neale explained that in respect of the scheme, North Yorkshire County Council was working with consultants WSP to do the detailed designs for the scheme and it was included as part of round two of the Active Travel Fund.  The scheme would need to be delivered before the end of March 2022.  In relation to another scheme that County Councillor Clive Pearson referred to, Louise Anne Neale explained that it was not included in the funding proposals being submitted to government at present but if it met the criteria for future funding opportunities it could be put forward.

County Councillor Andy Paraskos referred to a scheme in a parish within his division that was part way through but there was a shortfall in funding to complete the scheme.  He asked what options were available to lever in this additional funding such as a public works loan.

Louise Anne Neale explained that she was not able to provide capital funding for the scheme but agreed to have a discussion with County Councillor Andy Parakos about other possibilities following the meeting.

The Chairman concluded the discussion by noting that active travel was an emotive subject especially when linked to climate change impacts and was increasingly popular as highlighted by the phenomenal explosion in cycling.  Active travel was expected to grow especially for leisure purpose and that was why it was important to work with organisations such as Sustrans to get a comprehensive picture of cycling in the county.

 Resolved –

That the Committee notes the delivery of active travel schemes across North Yorkshire.