£200m fund for active travel

Active Travel England is inviting local authorities in England to bid for part of a £200m fund for improvements which enable people to choose walking and cycling.

Schemes could include creating more paths in rural areas, developing safer routes for children to walk to school and improved safety at junctions for people walking and cycling.

Funding will also be used to support people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters by making street designs more inclusive. The successful projects will be announced later this year.

Walking and cycling charity Sustrans has estimated that active travel generated £36.5 billion for the economy in 2021 through increased spending on high streets, reduced pressure on the NHS and better access to jobs.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

"These new schemes will make it safer for children to walk to school and will better connect rural communities, helping more people choose active travel as an affordable and healthy way to get around."

Previous funding rounds saw a new cycle lane built in Coventry and a new walking and cycling route in Manchester.

Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman said:

"Active travel is convenient, cheap, low carbon and health-giving. It’s a choice we need to make sure everyone has. Sometimes it only takes relatively small changes, such as crossings on school routes or convenient places to park a bike, to give us the option to walk, wheel or ride."

The government’s objective is to enable 55 per cent of all primary school children to walk to school by 2025. Local authorities will also need to show that their proposed schemes take women’s safety into account.

Last week, Active Travel announced over £30m to create a national network of experts to work with communities, enhance high streets and make places truly walkable and cyclable for everyone. It claims the fund could see up to 1,300 new green jobs created across England.