The Department announced in January a £140 million investment for cycling in England over the next three years to complement local authority spend. This has a number of programmes including new routes to around 500 schools, building on the successful Links to Schools programme where £18.4 million of Government funding since 2005 has provided 295 links to over 600 schools and forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN).
£47 million has also been allocated for extending the Cycling Demonstration Towns (CDT) programme to up to 17 towns including a large city. The outcome of the bidding process for new CDTs is due to be announced later this year. Until the new CDTs and six existing ones develop their future programmes, I am unable to say what the precise plans are for increasing the cycle network in the CDTs.
Local authorities provide on and off road cycle facilities such as cycle tracks and cycle lanes, using their Local Transport Plan (LTP) Integrated Block grant from the DfT (which covers schemes costing less than £5 million and includes such cycle schemes) plus their own funding. The Department has encouraged local authorities to develop a cycling strategy as part of the LTP process from 2006 to 2011. It is for local authorities to determine the development of the local cycle networks as part of that strategy. Sustrans, who have developed the NCN, then work with local authorities to link the local networks to it.
The aforementioned covers England only (excluding London) as that is the Department’s responsibility. Responsibility for cycling in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the administrations there. The Mayor of London is responsible for the development of the cycle network in London.