AQW 25793/11-15

Mr Peter Weir
Democratic Unionist Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 17/09/2013
Answered On Date: 02/10/2013
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Regional Development to outline any new departmental initiatives to encourage cycling.

Answer:

The Action Plan for Active Travel which I published at the beginning of August lists many new cycling initiatives to be delivered by Government Departments including my Department, local authorities and interested stakeholders during the period 2012 -2015.

Another very recent initiative undertaken by my Department is The Active School Travel Programme. This will provide a programme of cycle and walking skills training to pupils in 180 schools across Northern Ireland over a three year period. The objective of this programme is to encourage school pupils to adopt cycling and walking as their main mode of transport to and from school.

I have established a new cycling unit within my Department, which will be tasked to identify and suggest possible new cycling infrastructure schemes along with supporting cycling events to complement the existing National Cycle Network in line with the Northern Ireland Cycling Strategy.