RSUA responds to DfI consultation on Active Travel Delivery Plan
28/02/2025
In November 2024, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) launched a consultation seeking views on its Active Travel Delivery Plan.
The Plan outlines how the Department aims to deliver around 200km of active travel infrastructure over the next 10 years for towns and cities with populations exceeding 5,000. This excludes Belfast, where investment is guided by the Belfast Cycle Network Delivery Plan (2022).
The consultation closed on Friday, 28th February. RSUA formed a response alongside its members, and particularly wishes to thank Paul McGarvey for his input on proposed routes in the Derry City & Strabane District Council area.
RSUA’s response
Points from our response to the consultation include:
- The Plan’s Ministerial Foreword claims the initiative aims to “deliver a bold transformation for our communities”. However, we believe the Plan falls short in both scope and timelines.
- An important aspect of promoting active travel is making non-active travel modes significantly less attractive. This emphasis is currently missing from the Plan.
- The Plan’s categorisation of projects to be delivered over the next ten years as “priority routes” is overly broad and reflects the Plan’s overall lack of ambition.
- As it stands, new housing developments are not best prepared to accommodate new active travel routes delivered as part of this Plan.
- RSUA is concerned that the Plan does not establish specific delivery targets for the connections it prioritises.
- Given that DfI’s track record of active travel delivery has been poor, it is important that this Plan instils confidence among relevant stakeholders. In its current form, however, the Plan is unlikely to build this trust.
Our full response can be viewed here.
If you have any queries regarding the Active Travel Delivery Plan, or RSUA’s response to it, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
