The Government has outlined an 'expectation' of £4.5bn spending plans for active travel over the next five years in the delayed third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 3).

The previous CWIS ended in March last year. This means the latest plans, put out to consultation this week, are more than a year late under the usual five-year cycle. Under the Infrastructure Act 2015, if a CWIS is not in place the transport secretary is obliged to 'lay before Parliament a report explaining why a strategy has not been set, and set a strategy as soon as may be reasonably practicable'.

However, despite being only just released, the DfT seems to have backdated CWIS 3 stating it runs from April 2025 and March 2030.

Through the £4.5bn headline investment, the Department for Transport said it would work with Active Travel England (ATE) and local authorities to deliver 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings connecting homes with schools, high streets and local services by 2030.

It also pledged to deliver more than half (55%) of short journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2035, under new targets.

The document is being published alongside Active Travel England's Worth Every Step delivery plan. Under the strategy, ATE has been tasked with establishing, by 2030, 'the basis for a national active travel network by connecting the high-quality local routes already built, funded or planned'.

To help achieve the national network, the DfT has pledged to achieve key planning milestones:

  • by 2026 launch local pilots for wayfinding and innovative street designs to reinforce the evidence base of what works
  • by 2026 publish a vision and outline business case for a consistent national approach to active travel wayfinding
  • by 2027 publish a new local cycling and walking infrastructure plan guidance, with enhanced walking network planning and support authorities to update and integrate with local transport plans
  • by 2028 update TSRGD and the traffic signs manual to include signing for active travel
  • by 2030 develop the foundations of a national network by bringing together existing, planned and proposed schemes into a single digital platform
  • By getting more people adopting healthier lifestyles, it would free up around 1.7 million GP appointments every year and lead to 4.4 million fewer sick days

In practice, this means that by 2030, a national walking and cycling network will be accessible through standard route mapping websites and apps, in the same way that the road network is today,' the DfT said.

Delivery is likely to be a challenging issue as the projected cash investment comes from a range of sources, none of which are ringfenced and only around a quarter of the money is earmarked specifically for active travel - the DfT is providing £1.1bn to ATE over the period of CWIS 3 for active travel, a departmental spoksperson confirmed.

The remainder of the cash is in the form of 'a proportion of funding from a range of funding streams within the DfT and other government departments'. These include:

  • Transport for City Regions
  • Highways maintenance
  • City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements
  • Pride in Place programme
  • National Highways
  • Local Transport Grant/Integrated Transport Block

When questioned on whether the DfT could guarantee any of the remaining £3.4bn CWIS 3 headline investment, a DfT spokesperson highlighted that the cash was a projection, as it had been for CWIS1 and 2. The difference now is that the transport funding to local authorities is part of a wider devolved settlement.

The spokesperson told Highways: 'In line with the Government's devolution agenda a proportion of ATE funding for councils is allocated as part of a wider local transport settlement. Whilst we expect local authorities to continue to use the active travel portion of these funds for active travel, local areas now have the flexibility to invest active travel funds into other local transport priorities, the spokesperson said.

'Conversely, local areas will also have the flexibility to invest funding from other transport funding streams into active travel which has historically been the case.'

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: 'Too many people would like to walk, wheel or cycle more often but don't feel they have safe and convenient options to do so.

'Our new Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy sets out how we will change that, with ambitious targets, record levels of investment and a clear plan to make active travel a practical choice for millions more journeys. This is about creating healthier communities, helping households keep more money in their pockets and building a transport network that works better for everyone.'

'If households give up a second car in favour of active short trips, it could save families around £1,700 per year on average – that's more than £17,000 over 10 years,' it added