Reading Borough Council has blamed the Conservative Government's decision to slash the active travel budget for England after only one of its three projects aimed to walking and cycling conditions in the city received funding, however, a Green councillor has claimed that one of the proposed cycle lanes would have simply duplicated an existing route instead of connecting Reading's "disjointed" cycling network.
The government announced the cuts to the budget for active travel schemes in England outside London in March, with the Walking & Cycling Alliance (WACA) estimating that two thirds of previously promised funding will be lost, making it "impossible" to meet Net Zero and active travel targets.
The WACA had described the decision as a "backward move", and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW) said that it was "incredibly disappointing".
The Reading Borough Council, after the failed bid for the funding, said: "The Government significantly reduced the overall funding pot available to all local councils under the 4th tranche of the Active Travel, so while obviously disappointed there was always likely to be limited funding available for Reading on this occasion, particularly as it had been successful in earlier rounds.
"We are disappointed that the obvious strategic benefits of linking the existing Sidmouth Street cycle lane with the National Cycle Network 422 scheme at Kennetside was not recognised by Active Travel England at this time.
"It remains a firm ambition of the Council to deliver these improvements as and when new funding opportunities arise."
One of the projects, deemed controversial since its inception, was the Sidmouth Street cycle lane, reports the Reading Chronicle, as it removed the use of the southbound lane for vehicle use. Opponents also argued that it 'duplicates' a much more well-used walking and cycling route in Watlington Street.
In September last year, when the cycle lane went to vote for being made permanent, it was voted against by only one member, Greens Councillor Rob White, who's also the leader of the opposition.
Councillor White said: "Green councillors support better, safer cycle routes in Reading, but we didn’t support the Sidmouth Street cycle lane, which is a duplication of an existing good, well used cycle link – Watlington Street.
"The existing Watlington Street route for bikes is already joined up to the Kennet side via the pedestrian/cycle crossings next to the Lyndhurst pub.
"No wonder the government rejected the council’s bid for over £500,000 to connect Sidmouth Street to the Kennet Side.
"The council should be bidding for money to make our roads safe for cyclists and join up Reading’s disjointed cycle network. Unfortunately it is wasting time bidding for money to duplicate existing links."
The council also failed to receive funding to investigate pedestrian and cycle improvements at Christchurch Green, and was only able to secure a funding of £75,000 for building a pedestrian crossing in the Upper Redlands Road.
Since slashing the budget in March, Westminster been criticised even more for not providing sufficient and adequate cycling opportunities, with the recent elections campaign painting Prime Minsiter Rishi Sunak as a messiah to stop the so-called "War on the Motorist", drawing sharp rebuke from many cycling charities.
Last week, six of the country's leading active travel groups came together to claim that the prime minister’s reported ‘Plan for Motorists’ will deny citizens "their choice, health, and freedom".
According to the CEOs of Cycling UK, British Cycling, Bikeability Trust, Living Streets, Ramblers, and Sustrans, the proposals, instead of giving people real choice over how they live their lives, "ignore possibilities for cheap, reliable, and sustainable travel, leaving many with one default option: to drive".
And earlier this week, Cycling UK responded to the speech made by Transport Secretary Mark Harper at the Conservative Party's conference in Manchester, accusing the government of being "intent on undermining" some of the "most successful transport policies of recent years" in an "ill-fated attempt to win support" ahead of the next general election.
Even former Olympic champion and active travel commissioner Chris Boardman urged Rishi Sunak to "just stick with" policies promoting active travel. He also said that the language of Sunak's announcement, which called schemes such as low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and 20mph zones "hare-brained", was "not the language I would choose" and called on the government to also announce "sensational active travel policy".