Use of public transport is set to drop dramatically over the next 25 years as commuters return to their cars.

That’s the view of shadow transport secretary Lillian Greenwood, who accuses the government of failing to sufficiently invest in green transport alternatives like segregated bike lanes.

Figures from the Department for Transport suggest that all modes of transport except for private car use are expected to fall between now and 2040.

Forecasts show that people are set to spend more time driving on average every day, rising from 26.6 minutes in 2010 to 32.8 in 2040.

As a result, the amount of time people spend on a bus is set to fall from a daily average of 9.0 minutes in 2010 to 7.1 in 2040.

Despite Transport for London’s ambition of doubling the number of daily bike trips to 1.5 million by 2026, the average daily cycle minutes will also drop slightly, from 1.0 to 0.9 minutes, by 2040.

Speaking to the Times, Lillian Greenwood said: “Ministers claim that they will double cycling journeys by 2025 but their own projections predict that cycling will tail off.

“It's now clearer than ever that plans to cut walking and cycling funding by over 70 per cent will hasten this decline and lead to even more cars on congested and poorly maintained roads.”