Mayor Oliver Coppard excited at MP Louise Haigh's comments on 'unprecedented' funding for cycling and walking

Ms Haigh became Transport Secretary after Labour’s general election victory in July and recently spoke about how the new government will be investing in walking and cycling as an important part of plans to improve health and reduce inequality across the nation.

The Guardian reported the MP for Sheffield Heeley predicted a nationwide network of safe cycle routes could drastically reduce the number of GP appointments needed across the country, as well as have a beneficial effect on the environment.

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“We’re in a climate crisis. We’re in a public health crisis; getting people walking and cycling and moving more are essential to solving both of those in the immediate term and in the long term,” she said. “There’s lots of evidence to show that will reduce the number of GP appointments by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, a year.”

The comments have been met with enthusiasm by the Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, who hired the Barnsley-born former Olympic cyclist Ed Clancy OBE as the region’s Active Travel Commissioner in February 2023.

Mayor Coppard said: “A healthier, wealthier and happier South Yorkshire is my absolute mission, and I am committed to giving people the chance to move more and move differently to improve our region’s health, wellbeing and happiness.

“I know that Lou Haigh is someone who understands not just the transport challenges facing South Yorkshire, but also supports my mission for us to become the healthiest region in the country. That’s why it’s great to see how much she values the role of walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys to support that mission.

“I look forward to working with Lou and the government to create a world class, fully integrated public transport system connecting our buses, trams, trains and active travel routes here in South Yorkshire. ” Since his initial election in 2022, Mayor Coppard has talked at length of the need for better active travel infrastructure across Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

In July 2024, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority announced brand new measures to support cycling across the region.

It included a new 250km bike route, called South Yorkshire by Bike, designed to get local communities involved in “the freedom and fun of cycling”.

Mr Clancy traversed the route on one of the region’s 130 new e-bikes, secured with funding from Active Travel England. which will be made available as part of a national free e-bike loan scheme.