This below is a cross-post from Mad Cycle Lanes of Manchester (a blog that does what it says on the tin, and more.)

In response to the following request:-

1. In the current financial year, how much money is the city council planning on spending on cycling and issues related to cycling, including capital spending on projects and buildings?

2. Of that total expenditure, how much will be spent on each of the following areas:- cycling as transport – e.g. cycle lanes & road safety schemes cycling as leisure – e.g. recreational cycle routes cycling as sport – e.g. expenditure on sports facilities anything else

3. Please list all the major projects

I received the following from Manchester City Council:

The Council’s capital expenditure in 2011/12 on cycling as transport – e.g. cycle lanes & road safety schemes is as follows:

£111,000 on cycle paths and measures to reduce cycling casualties which include:
Hyde Road cycle lane: Highway alterations between Pottery Lane and Reddish Lane;
Ashton New Road: Installation of cycle lane;
Safety improvements along Oxford Road;
Princess Road Cycle Path: Providing a shared pedestrian / cycle footway on the western footpath of Princess Road, between Whitchurch Road and Mauldeth Road West and also between its junction with Great Western Street and Moss Lane East; This scheme was funded by a DfT grant which Manchester City Council successfully bid for as part of its congestion performance initiative.

The Council’s capital expenditure in 2011/12 on cycling as leisure – e.g. recreational cycle routes is as follows:

£90,000 on Rochdale Canal Towpath Cycle way: Improvements to the stretch of the Rochdale Canal Towpath from the Oldham boundary to New Islington, linking to the City Centre and Piccadilly Station approach. This included approximately 1000 metres of surface improvements to the canal towpath over 3.5 km. The funding has targeted the worst affected sections. This scheme was funded by a DfT grant which Manchester City Council successfully bid for as part of its congestion performance initiative.
Manchester City Council have also bid, through the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), for £500,000 to fund Regional Centre Cycle Routes. If the bid is successful, this scheme will introduce a number of on-street measures designed to encourage and promote cycling. These will include cycle lanes and improvements at junctions. The scheme will link existing cycle routes that terminate at the edge of the City Centre with cycle hub facilities that are to be provided within the City Centre. The outcome of this bid will not be known until June 2012.

The Council’s revenue expenditure in 2011/12 for cycling sport is as follows:

The Velodrome Trust – £26,000 Cycling Development – £38,000Cycling Events – £112,040Grants to Cycling Groups – £13,830
In addition, Sport England and the Council also received funding from the Stadium Rental Agreement (Manchester City Football Club) and agreed to spend the following on Cycling projects:
The Velodrome Trust – £328,000Cycling Development – £20,000

The Council’s Capital expenditure in 2011/12 for cycling sport is as follows:
BMX Centre – £5,200,000
This is the 2011/12 spend out of a total of £21,000,000 since 2009/10.
Velodrome maintenance – £54,000

So that’s over £5.5M of spend on cycle sport, whilst cycle routes get a pitance…