Australian government to fund $100 million national Active Transport Fund

Key points

• Better Streets welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of a $100 million dollar national Active Transport Fund.

• This will help the Australian Government meet its international obligations to reduce carbon emissions, as well as reducing the health costs of sedentary lifestyles which cause obesity, diabetes and mental health issues, and the cost of road trauma. 

• For every $1 invested in walking and cycling infrastructure, we get back $4-5 to the economy, most of which is in health benefits.

Full Release

Better Streets welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of a $100 million national Active Transport Fund. It’s pleasing to see funding to upgrade and deliver new bicycle and walking paths. Investing in active transport is the most effective way to deliver mobility freedom for Australians.  Active transport infrastructure provides safe, healthy, enjoyable and convenient options to walk or ride a bicycle, enabling people of all ages to access school, jobs, or services at a low cost.

The Better Streets Recommendation #1 to all governments is to get kids active, to encourage 75% of children to walk, cycle, scoot, or take public transport to school everyday, setting them up with healthy habits for life. To make this happen we need investment in bicycle and walking paths, which the announcement provides.

Similarly, Recommendation #4 is to make more crossings for people walking, and Recommendation #5 is to build more bicycle routes, directly align with the announcement.
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Every journey that can be switched to active transport is a win for our environment and a win for our children’s future. Better Streets calls upon each state and territory government to match the federal government’s announcement, dollar for dollar, and to provide stable, continual investment in active transport, which is core to building better streets.

Quotes attributable to Sara Stace, President
“Better Streets welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of a $100 million national Active Transport Fund.”

“Investing in active transport is a way to deliver mobility freedom for Australians, enabling people of all ages to get around in a low cost manner.”

“Better Streets calls upon each state and territory government to match the federal government’s announcement, dollar for dollar, and to provide stable, continual investment in active transport, which is core to building better streets that are safe, healthy, and accessible and enjoyable for all.”

About Better Streets
Better Streets is the peak body for accelerating the adoption of safe, healthy, people-friendly, climate-friendly streets, right across Australia. Better Streets is a registered charity, run by volunteers, experts, educators, and advocates. Our goal is to educate, connect and empower our coalition of community groups, businesses, decision-makers and individuals to take more effective, scalable action and advocate to improve our streets. 
https://www.betterstreets.org.au/about-us.html

Reference: 
Australia Government. (7 May 2024). National Active Transport Fund.
https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/national-active-transport-fund