A letter in the Crow on Feb 11^th stated that the Royston to Cambridge cycle pathway would cost around £70 million!

In fact the estimate for a bridge over the A505 is about £1.5 million, and a connecting path to Melbourn about £1 million.   The recently completed Harston Mill – Shepreth Lakes cycle path has come in under budget at around £1 million. 

To put these figures in context, a single carriageway road costs about 12 times as much per mile as a cycle path, with none of the associated health and environmental benefits.  The A10 paths are designed as ‘dual use’ for all non-vehicle users, providing safe route between villages for walkers, runners, mobility scooters and enabling children to ride or walk short distances independently.  

So far, funds spent on the A10 have come directly from Dept of Transport’s ‘Cycling Ambition Grant’ for projects to encourage more people to cycle safely, improve their physical/mental health and reduce congestion and pollution.  The fund is ringfenced and cannot be used to repair potholes, upgrade public toilets or other general purposes. 

A recent Dept of Transport report ‘Claiming the Health Dividend’ showed overwhelming value for money from investment in walking and cycling, reducing costs to the NHS from illnesses associated with inactive lifestyles.