Up to 10 per cent of transport budgets should be invested in cycling and walking initiatives to fight obesity, politicians have been urged.

Seventy groups, including the Association of Directors of Public Health, also want to see 20mph speed limits made the norm in residential areas. They are also calling for improved driver training, better-enforced traffic laws and more cycle routes.

The organisations said that spending on cycling in England in 2006-07 amounted to 0.3 per cent of the overall transport budget; in Wales the figure was 0.4 per cent.

The groups, including Sustrans, the pro-cycling body, and the Royal Institute of British Architects, say that significant investment now could have a significant impact on public health.

Tim Crayford, president of the association, said: “If we really want to see levels of obesity declining, we have to move on from the rhetoric. We need to see a visible investment in infrastructure that makes cycling and walking the travel modes of choice.”

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