The costs from TfL were published in response to an FOI in August:"Up to the 31 March 2022, the total spent on C9 was £12.6m. This include all design related works, public consultations, construction of Kew Bridge, Wellesley Road, Chiswick High Road, King Street, Hammersmith Gyratory. The final costs for the sections between Goldhawk Road and Chiswick Lane are currently being finalised. The budget for these works is £3.3m. Estimated costs for the section between Heathfield Terrace and Chiswick Lane is approximately £1m."Current spending by TfL on active travel was a condition of the latest funding settlement between TfL and DfT so can't be reallocated.TfL spends about £10 to £15 a person on cycling infrastructure a year, about five times the level of the rest of England. But London has also seen a much higher growth in cycling. 20 years ago only 1 in 25 trips was by bike rather than car, and that didn't vary much by region. Now in London 1 in 6 trips is by bike rather than car, while in the rest of England that proportion has only risen slightly.The government has stated it wants to double cycling by 2025, motivated mainly by the benefits to the nation's health: DfT use a yardstick that every £1 spent on cycling infrastructure returns £5.50 in benefits. In summary it is indeed a very prudent and caring way of spending our financial resources, and that is why the government will be increasing spending on such schemes, in alignment with both TfL and the majority of London councils.
Tom Pike ● 1334d