The UK government wants at least 60% of children aged five to 16 in England to usually walk or cycle to school by 2035, supported by £4.5 billion in projected active travel investment over the next five years.
The target forms part of the government’s new Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. Government data shows that about 46% of children in this age group currently travel to school by foot or bicycle.
Thousands Of Routes And Crossings Planned
The Department for Transport plans to work with local authorities and Active Travel England to deliver 5,000 walking, wheeling and cycling routes by 2030. The programme also includes 10,000 safer crossings connecting homes with schools, high streets and local services.
The government will spend £135 million on programmes that teach children to walk and cycle safely and help schools prepare travel plans. A national safe-routes-to-school programme is also included in the strategy.
Ministers want 55% of short journeys in towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2035, up from the current level of 48%. The definition includes part of a longer journey, such as walking or cycling to a railway station or bus stop.
The government estimates that reaching the target would result in 5.3 million more people being physically active in towns and cities. A national walking and cycling network, supported by consistent signs, is also expected to appear on route-planning apps within five years.
Government Links Plans To Health And Costs
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said many people wanted to walk, wheel or cycle more often but lacked safe and convenient options. She said the plan would support healthier communities, reduce household transport costs and improve the wider transport network.
Health Secretary James Murray said active travel could help people include exercise in their daily routines and reduce pressure on the NHS. Active Travel England will help distribute funding and support local authorities with route planning and construction.
The Walk Wheel Cycle Trust welcomed the inclusion of secondary school pupils and cycling in the target. Living Streets described the strategy as more ambitious than previous plans, while the Cycle to Work Alliance said safe infrastructure and affordable access would be necessary to change travel habits.
Targets Differ Across The UK
The plan applies only to England because transport policy is largely devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each nation has established separate active travel targets, though official reviews have raised concerns about slow progress.
Wales previously set a target for 45% of journeys to use sustainable transport by 2040. Scotland wants walking and cycling to become the preferred options for short trips by 2030, while Northern Ireland committed to spending 10% of its transport budget on active travel under its 2022 Climate Change Act.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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