Morning, Thursday, 20th March 2025
Online
This conference will consider next steps for active travel in England.
It will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to assess key areas for investment and priorities for implementation, with the Government pledging an additional £100m in the Budget for walking and cycling infrastructure in 2025-26.
Looking more widely at the direction of government policy, sessions will discuss implications for active travel of the Government’s ongoing Transport Infrastructure Review alongside the upcoming spending review.
Areas for discussion include priorities for improving infrastructure to encourage the uptake of active travel methods as part of the forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy, as it is consulted on by Government. Sessions will also examine next steps for regional authorities in developing active travel policy, in the context of the Government’s commitment to further devolution in England with the publication of the English Devolution White Paper in December.
Further sessions will look at the way forward for the role of active travel in supporting wider government objectives, such as decarbonising the country’s transport network, improving health in light of findings from the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report, driving economic growth and reducing inequalities.
With the agenda still in the drafting stage, overall areas for consideration include:
- funding and investment: opportunities associated with return on investment for active travel spending - addressing regional spending disparities
- infrastructure priorities: identifying and delivering infrastructure needed to increase active travel uptake - addressing disparities and improving accessibility for varying user groups
- planning and policy:
- impact of the English Devolution White Paper on the formulation of regional active travel policy - mayoral authority rollout of active travel within the context of deepened trailblazer devolution deals
- the role of active travel in the Government’s Integrated National Transport Strategy - improving consistency in delivery of schemes and services across the country
- National Cycle Network: assessing responsibilities, structure and delivery
- increasing uptake: addressing access issues - improving public messaging
- unlocking the potential of active travel:
- contribution to achieving wider policy objectives - decarbonisation of the transport network - economic impact and reducing inequality
- implications of active travel uptake on healthcare and reducing GP appointments - assessing the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report on the potential of active travel in improving public health
