More than 50 organisations, including British Cycling, Cycling UK, the National Trust, and the British Medical Association, have written to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urging her to set specific targets for walking and cycling levels in England. The groups warn that current government plans are too vague and lack the clarity needed to match the strategic approach given to road and rail transport.
The letter argues that the government's active travel proposals must move from 'good intentions to a clear, long-term, fully deliverable national plan comparable to other strategic transport programmes'. It highlights that transport planners for road and rail benefit from established funding and long-term objectives, while active travel—which accounts for a third of all trips—remains subject to short-term, piecemeal planning.
The groups call for a target that by 2030, 50% of trips under five miles in towns and cities should be walked, wheeled, or cycled. They criticise the proposed objectives in the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3), such as 'ensuring people are safe to travel actively', as being open to interpretation and not measurable. The letter also demands a national strategy for active travel networks, ensuring routes are coherent, connected, and accessible to key destinations like hospitals and schools.
Xavier Brice, chief executive of Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, said CWIS3 was intended to shift active travel from stop-start funding to a long-term framework but has not lived up to that promise. He warned that without targets, the existing goal of making active travel safe and accessible by 2035 is unachievable under current proposals.
A Department for Transport spokesperson responded: 'We have committed £616m to Active Travel England up to 2030 so that local authorities can deliver walking and cycling infrastructure across the country, with the aim that by 2035 walking, wheeling and cycling is easy, safe, and accessible for everyone. We have just launched a consultation on how we can achieve this, and we encourage stakeholders and the public to have their say.'
