UK to invest millions in post-pandemic walking, cycling

The UK government on Saturday announced a once in a generation transport sector investment of around 2 billion pound, with a major chunk ear-marked for emergency improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure for the country's green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps made the announcement during the daily 10 Downing Street briefing, during which he also revealed the official death toll in hospitals and the wider community from COVID-19 as 31,587.

The Cabinet minister said the new investment in transport looks ahead into the future to ensure the public is supported to use more greener travel options and avoid overcrowding in public transport as travel restrictions are gradually eased in the coming weeks.

"Whilst it's crucial that we stay at home, when the country does get back to work we need to ask those people to carry on cycling or walking and for them to be joined by many others as well," he said.

The minister also said the move beyond COVID-19 would be a "gradual progress" and not a "single leap to freedom" when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes his major speech on the lockdown on Sunday evening.

Pop-up bike lanes, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks as part of a 250 million pound emergency fund.

It is the first part of a 2 billion pound package, which was part of a 5 billion pound investment announced in February, the Department for Transport said.

Announcing 10 million pound for electric car charging points and extending an e-scooter trial across England, Scotland and Wales, the transport minister said better air quality had been one of the few benefits of the current crisis.