Transport Secretary Unveils £4.5bn Active Travel Strategy with 60% School Target
Heidi Alexander’s new cycling and walking investment plan sets specific numerical targets for the first time since the Johnson era, following criticism of earlier drafts.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has launched a new cycling and walking investment strategy for England, establishing a binding target for 60% of pupils aged five to 16 to actively travel to school by 2035. The policy, backed by £4.5bn in funding over five years, represents the most significant shift in active travel governance since the previous administration, moving away from the Rishi Sunak government’s emphasis on motorists and major infrastructure projects.
The strategy mandates the creation of 5,000 new active travel routes and 10,000 crossings by 2030. This infrastructure push is designed to support the broader goal of ensuring 55% of shorter urban trips include some form of active travel. The inclusion of these specific numerical targets follows sustained criticism from campaigners, who had previously condemned an initial draft of the plan for lacking measurable objectives.
Current data indicates that approximately 45% of students in England already utilise active travel methods to reach school. However, the new targets present a substantial challenge, particularly as they expand the scope beyond primary-aged children, who typically live closer to their schools, to encompass all pupils up to the age of 16. The definition of active travel for urban trips has also been updated to include "stages," meaning that combined modes of transport, such as cycling to a train station, now count towards the 55% target.
Alexander emphasised that the strategy is grounded in public health advice from Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, who has highlighted the importance of increasing physical activity for sedentary individuals. The Transport Secretary argued that formal exercise schemes, such as the "couch to 5k" programme, have limited reach, whereas integrating physical activity into daily routines, such as cycling to a supermarket, offers a more sustainable approach to public health improvement.
The policy marks a clear departure from the "plan for drivers" introduced by the Sunak government, which sought to restrict local councils from implementing streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Alexander stated there would be "no war on motorists," noting that most people utilise a mix of transport modes. She positioned the new strategy as a necessary counterbalance to the focus on large-scale projects like HS2 and Great British Railways, asserting that everyday travel needs require equal political attention.
