This paper presents the results from new research on the economic and mode shift implications of the Cycle to Work scheme. Cycling and walking are essential to the Scottish government's overall transport strategy, and the ambitious target of 10% of everyday journeys to be made by bike by 2020 has been set in the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland (CAPS). Due to their positive contribution to other key policy areas such as health, environment and well-being, calls for joint funding across government departments for active travel initiatives are increasingly being made. As one initiative already 'funded' centrally via the tax savings scheme users make, we consider whether the Cycle to Work scheme should be a part of CAPS or whether it is more akin to an employee benefit package. The research used online surveys to collect self-reported data from scheme users. Economic assessment tools were used to build up a post-hoc appraisal of the scheme. DfT WebTAG guidance as well as the WHO's Health Economic Assessment Tool were used. (Author/publisher)
Abstract