Editing Sustrans (section)

==History==
[[Image:CBSustrans P1010152.JPG|upright|thumb|[[Narrowboat|Canal boat]] decked in Sustrans logo]]
Sustrans was formed in Bristol in July 1977 as '''Cyclebag''' by a group of cyclists and [[environmentalism|environmentalists]], as a result of doubts about the desirability of dependence on the private car, following the [[1973 oil crisis]], and the almost total lack of specific provision for cyclists in most British cities, in contrast to some other European countries.<ref name=guide>{{cite book |title=The Official Guide to the National Cycle Network |year=2002 |edition= 2nd |location=Italy |publisher=Canile & Turin |isbn= 1-901389-35-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mkweb.co.uk/cycling/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=11092 |title=Cycling in Milton Keynes &#124; Redways & Cycle Routes &#124; Sustrans Cycling |publisher=Mkweb.co.uk |access-date=2014-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728111447/http://www.mkweb.co.uk/cycling/displayarticle.asp?ID=11092 |archive-date=28 July 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

A decade earlier, the [[Beeching Axe]] closed many British railways that the government considered underused and too costly. One such railway was the former [[Midland Railway]] line between central Bristol and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], closed in favour of the more direct, former [[Great Western Railway]] between the cities. Led by [[John Grimshaw (cyclist)|John Grimshaw]], Cyclebag leased part of the old route and together with many volunteers and the help of [[County of Avon|Avon]] County Council (Bristol and Bath were then part of the County of Avon) turned it into its first route, the [[Bristol & Bath Railway Path]].<ref name=guide/>

In the early 1980s, when unemployment rose, the organisation took advantage of government schemes to provide temporary employment to build similar "green routes". [[British Waterways]] and Cyclebag collaborated to improve [[towpath]]s along some [[canal]]s, which resulted in increased use of the towpaths, especially by cyclists.

In 1983, the charity Sustrans was founded. It had 11 directors (trustees, members, and board members of the charity) chosen by the existing board. The executive board was composed of the chief executive, John Grimshaw, and one of the two company secretaries.<ref name="Sustrans Ltd 2005">Sustrans Ltd. & PriceWaterHouseCoopers LLP, 2005. "Annual Report for the year ending March 2005." Accessed 20 December 2005.</ref>

By the early 1990s, Sustrans had a growing number of supporters, and the network of national routes was emerging. In 1995, it was granted £43.5 million from the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|Millennium Lottery Fund]]<ref name="Celebratory Events in 2005">Sustrans, 2005. "[http://www.sustrans.org.uk/default.asp?sID=1090917618220 Celebratory Events in 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051212151916/http://www.sustrans.org.uk/default.asp?sID=1090917618220 |date=12 December 2005 }}." Accessed 20 December 2005.</ref> to extend the [[National Cycle Network]] to smaller towns and rural areas, as well as launch the "Safe Routes to Schools" project, based on earlier state projects in Denmark.

The five-year project, [[Connect2]] was launched in 2006, and it aimed at improving local travel in 79 communities by creating new walking and cycling routes. In 2007, it received £50 million from the [[Big Lottery Fund|Big Lottery]]'s 'Living Landmarks; The People's Millions' competition, following a public vote.<ref>[http://www.thepeoples50million.org.uk/news/and-the-winner-is The People's 50 Million] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214155319/http://www.thepeoples50million.org.uk/news/and-the-winner-is|date=14 December 2007}}</ref>

In 2015, Sustrans ran the Campaign for Safer Streets, which encouraged people to write to Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] to encourage him to commit to funding safer walking and cycling routes to schools.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}

In October 2015, Sustrans released its first Bike Life report.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bike Life|url=http://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/overall-survey|access-date=2015-10-27|website=Sustrans|archive-date=25 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025001654/http://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/overall-survey|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was a survey of residents in seven UK cities, undertaken in conjunction with local councils and transport authorities, attempting to assess the current state of cycling in the UK. It covered areas such as safety, provision of [[cycling infrastructure]] and people's attitudes towards cycling.

In 2020–2021, Sustrans' executive team had a combined payroll cost of {{GBP|715,000}}, with its CEO receiving over {{GBP|110,000}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carruthers|first=Ben|date=23 July 2021|title=Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020/21|url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/media/9767/sustrans-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-21.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|47}}