Why we need more spending on cycling and walking
When we have been trying to persuade Worcestershire County Council to spend more on cycling, we have been told that we already spend a lot on cycling and walking. A figure that has been mentioned by some Cabinet members is 11%. We didn't know the source of this figure or how it was split between cycling and walking.Was this figure correct? And what is the average over the past 5 years or so?Having some councillors in Bike Worcester is helpful and county councillor Matthew Jenkins has managed to get the finance figures for the Highways department for the last five years, showing the split between walking & cycling, and all other highways spending. The graph and table below tells you all you need to know.
| 2015/16 (£000) | 2016/17 (£000) | 2017/18 (£000) | 2018/19 (£000) | 2019/20 (£000) | TOTAL (£000) | |
| WALKING AND CYCLING | 832 | 823 | 3,220 | 4,015 | 3,229 | 12,118 |
| Spend per capita (£ per person in Worcestershire) | 1.52 | 1.50 | 5.88 | 7.33 | 5.89 | 22.12 |
| HIGHWAYS | 41,032 | 53,289 | 46,682 | 56,261 | 70,071 | 267,335 |
| Spend per capita (£ per person in Worcestershire) | 74.91 | 97.29 | 85.23 | 102.71 | 127.93 | 488.07 |