Active travel on Isle of Man not forgotten, insists minister

About £15,000 has been set aside for active travel in the latest Isle of Man budget

Efforts to encourage more people to cycle and walk on the Isle of Man are "definitely not dead and forgotten", the infrastructure minister has said.

The government has budgeted £15,000 for active travel in the next year, a move some politicians said did not match up with health and environmental polices.

It comes after the end of a three-year strategy to create infrastructure to encourage a fall in the use of cars.

Tim Crookall said education about the benefits would be the future focus.

Several new cycle lanes and footpaths have been built since the strategy was launched by the government in 2018 to reduce congestion, increase the health of the population and cut carbon emissions.

Dedicated spaces for cyclists and walkers were constructed on the Peel to Douglas heritage trail and on routes in Ramsey, while work is continuing on a £1.3m cycleway between St John's and Kirk Michael.

"Limited funding"

Speaking in Tynwald, Rob Mercer MLC said the government had "recognised the link between active lifestyles and wellbeing" but was "not going to do anything about it".

Kerry Sharpe MLC said there was a "mismatch" between the sum and goals set out in the government's five-year policy plan.

The "limited funding" was concerning, Daphne Caine MHK said, adding she hoped government would "keep up momentum on these policies for environmental, health and wellbeing benefits".

Mr Crookall admitted the latest allocation of funding was "very small", but added "we just need to keep a check on this" following the investment made since 2018.

Active travel was "still part and parcel of the future", with efforts now going into education to encourage more people to choose alternatives to cars for every-day journeys, he added.