Too much money is being spent on active travel like cycle routes and not enough on public transport ministers have been told.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, has written to Partick Harvie, the active travel minister to call for a “rebalancing” of funding allocations.

SPT councillors from Labour, SNP and the Conservatives have said that government and the Scottish Parliament need to support a better public transport network.

While stating they support active travel they question whether the current implementation of the policy is meeting the needs of the overall population.

Stephen Dornan, SPT chair an SNP councillor, and vice chairs Alan Moir Labour councillor and David Wilson, Conservative have co-signed the letter.

Dornan said: “My political partners and I, at SPT, are concerned that the current emphasis on active travel is actively precluding working with all modes of public transport. 

“SPT is, of course, supportive of all active travel modes but we appear to have lost a sense of balance. 

“Active travel must integrate and work with public transport and there must be accessible travel options for those who cannot active travel.

“We should not forget not everyone is able to cycle or walk.”

Glasgow has a ten year active travel strategy from 2022 to 2031.

It promotes Active travel which it states means “moving around using your own effort to get from place to place, usually by walking, wheeling or cycling, and is for everyday journeys such as going to school, to the shops or to work, as well as for exercise and recreation”.

The city has invested in cycle lanes around the city including the West City Way and South City Way with other alterations at key junctions to give more space for cycling.

Many motorists have complained about the changes and now SPT councillors are asking whether there is an imbalance with not enough directed to public transport.

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: “The Scottish Government is committed to sustainable travel, which is why we invest over £2 billion annually to support public transport. We agree that active travel and public transport should be well integrated to serve the needs of communities and cross-sector work, such as the Sustainable Travel to Stations strategy, makes a vital contribution to delivering this.

“We are also committed to continuing to build on our recent record investment in active travel, after decades when walking, wheeling and cycling received relatively little funding despite clear evidence that people wanted to do more. That’s why we support ambitious projects across Scotland designed to improve our public spaces and access to the public transport network, for example by creating safe routes to schools, segregated cycling lanes and improved pathways.

“Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework was co-produced with disabled people and is focused on improving the overall journey experience for disabled people by removing the barriers which prevent them travelling. All of our actions and investment are underpinned by the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy and Sustainable Investment Hierarchy, which prioritise walking, wheeling and cycling and shared transport options over single car use.”.