Cycling and walking encouraged in Wales

The Welsh Government has launched design guidance aimed at making Wales a walking and cycling nation.

The Active Travel (Wales) Act  2013, which encourages more walking and cycling across Wales took another step forward today (Monday 12  May) as Culture and Sport Minister, John Griffiths, launched consultations on guidance to deliver the new law.

The Minister launched a suite of documents giving guidance to local authorities on implementing the Act. He has also published an action plan which sets out the support the Welsh Government will provide for Active Travel. The Welsh Government is consulting on:

• Statutory Design Guidance for local authorities, which sets out the standards for active travel routes



• The Statutory Guidance for the delivery of the Act, which sets out the processes and procedures to create the maps and meet other requirements of the Act



• The Active Travel Action Plan, which explains the broader range of activities that the Welsh Government and its partners will be undertaking to enable and encourage more people to walk and cycle more often.

Mr Griffiths said: “Collectively these three documents represent a significant step in our journey to make Wales truly a walking and cycling nation. The design guidance was developed by a consortium of experts in their field, and reflects the latest thinking on walking and cycling infrastructure design, with a clear focus on equality and accessibility. The Active Travel action plan sets out the Welsh Government’s role in the delivery of this landmark piece of legislation.

“Once the consultation process has been completed we can start the work of implementing the Act in earnest and fulfil our ambition of making Wales a true global leader in promoting cycling and walking as a realistic alternative to the car.”