Cycling UK has warned the Welsh government that dropping cycling projects from its list of transport priorities would "risk missing the opportunity" to enable more people to access cycled journeys in the country.
The Welsh Labour Transport Secretary Ken Skates says the government has "listened to the people of Wales" and the immediate priority will be seeing active travel "first and foremost, through the eyes of those who are most vulnerable, elderly people, people who use wheelchairs".
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Castle Street, Cardiff (credit: No Swan So Fine)Consequently, the BBC has reported "inclusive travel" will be the major priority moving forward, such as fixing pavements and implying less of a focus on cycle lanes and other cycling infrastructure.
"If our streets are safe for our most vulnerable, they'll be safe for all of us," Skates said, before suggesting that some of the most vulnerable "are scared to go out" because of "creaking infrastructure" and "things like the menace of e-bike misuse".
Skates has committed to maintaining the level of funding in 2025-26 to local authorities for transport schemes, with core funding for active travel at £15m. Of that, "60 per cent" must be used for "actual change on the ground", although the implication is that cycling projects will not be the priority.
"Rather than spend tax payers' money on administration and consultancy fees, councils will be able to invest in fixing pavements, dropping kerbs, installing seats, improving bus shelters and making streets safer for all," he added.
Cycling UK's Gwenda Owen said she fears that "without that investment in separate cycling infrastructure we risk missing the opportunity to enable more people to choose to cycle". She suggested it would undermine the "consistent investment in active travel" in recent years, with councils having been able to "really plan for the future".
Owen also spoke more widely of the need for active travel funding to be ring-fenced, as walking and cycling "very often politically [...] does not come on top of the agenda".
It all comes a few months on from the transport secretary claiming concerns from cycling campaigners were "unfounded" before using the introduction of mandatory 20mph speed limits as evidence the government has "implemented the biggest road safety initiative in 25 years".
However, Senedd member and former climate change deputy minister Lee Waters called the claims "deeply disingenuous" and accused the government of "using the drop in casualties on 20mph roads to justify cutting back on active travel".
Waters continued: "The latest stats show an increase in casualties on roads where the speed limit is over 40mph, and a coroner in Bridgend raised concerns about the lack of safe infrastructure for cyclists on busy roads.
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20mph sign (credit: Albert Bridge / CC BY-SA 2.0)"If there was sincere concern for vulnerable pedestrians then taking forward proposals to tackle pavement parking would be high on the priority list — and it is not."
Skates called Waters "hot headed" on BBC Politics Wales and said it was "difficult to dispute" that 20mph speed limits would be effective as "organisations like Cycling UK were adamant that 20mph would make roads safer for cyclists".
Cycling UK hailed the impact of the widespread 20mph speed limit implementation, calling it the "single most significant change we've ever seen" after the data revealed 100 fewer people have been killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads since the change.