Government unveils £4.5bn strategy to boost walking and cycling: aim for 60% of five‑to‑16‑year‑olds to travel actively to school within a decade, thousands of new routes and a national active‑travel network.
The UK government announced an ambitious £4.5 billion active‑travel strategy designed to get more people walking and cycling. A central goal is for at least 60% of children aged five to 16 to walk or cycle to school within a decade, up from about 47% in 2023, officials said. The plan also aims for half of all short trips in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2035 and to put a national walking and cycling network on route‑mapping apps within five years.
What the plan includes
- Infrastructure: About 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 “safer” crossings will be built by 2030, delivered by local authorities in partnership with Active Travel England.
- Investment in skills: £135 million will fund school programmes that train children to walk and cycle safely and help schools develop travel plans.
- National network: Officials want a consistent, usable national active‑travel network with standard signage and online mapping integrated alongside the road network.
- Behaviour targets: The government seeks 55% of short urban trips to be active by 2035 (currently 48%), a shift estimated to deliver 5.3 million more physically active people in towns and cities.
Why ministers say it matters
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander framed the strategy as making active travel “a practical choice for millions more journeys,” stressing safety and convenience as barriers to walking and cycling today. Health Secretary James Murray called the plan a public‑health measure that will help people build physical activity into everyday life and reduce pressure on the NHS. Ministers also highlighted wider benefits such as lower household transport costs, reduced congestion and cleaner air.
Challenges and context
Delivering thousands of new routes and crossings will require close coordination with local councils and long‑term maintenance funding. Behaviour change is also central: ministers say infrastructure must be paired with education, community programmes and safe route design to win public confidence. The plan follows growing international interest in active travel as a climate, health and congestion solution and arrives amid ongoing debates over how best to reallocate road space in towns and cities.
What this means for families and commuters
- Parents and schools: Increased investment in school travel training and safer crossings could make walking or cycling to school more realistic for many families.
- Commuters: Improved local routes and better connections to public transport aim to make short trips by foot or bike a more convenient option for everyday errands and commutes.
- Local authorities: Councils will play a leading role in delivering routes and must balance competing transport priorities with community engagement.
The government says the strategy will be rolled out in partnership with local authorities and Active Travel England, with progress monitored against the 2035 targets. If successful, the programme could reshape everyday travel for millions and support long‑term public‑health and environmental goals.
