Millions of people across the country will benefit from a £200 million government grant for cycling and walking programmes, which will help promote healthy tourism, reduce emissions and grow the economy.

The latest round of funding will give a boost to major streets and local businesses, while transforming schools for tens of thousands of children, creating an additional 16 million walking and biking trips. each year.

In addition to the environmental benefits, these plans will help ease traffic congestion across cities, with residents having more active choices that can benefit their health and well-being. their mental and physical well-being and reduce pressure on the environment. NHS.

After extensive consultation with local authorities, communities across England will benefit from the new funding, with more than 265 programs in 60 areas – including Yorkshire, Manchester, Devon and Leicester – received part of the latest funding round.

The investment, announced in February of this year, will deliver a range of plans across the country, including 121 miles of new bike paths, 77 miles of new greenways and walkways as well as initiatives to make the streets around 130 schools safer.

Active tourism is also estimated to bring £36.5 billion to the economy in a year through increased high street spending and better access to jobs, giving priority to economic development. our economy.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

We want to make sure people across the country can choose to travel cheaper, greener and healthier while we continue to support local businesses and grow the economy.

This £200 million investment will improve road safety, reduce congestion and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of millions of people who make active travel choices.

National Active Tourism Commissioner Chris Boardman added:

By giving millions of people the freedom to choose to walk, bike or cycle for their daily commute, this grant will help us improve public health, tackle climate change support and give hundreds of thousands of children the independence to travel safely on their own.

Our focus now is on working with councils to rapidly develop these plans. We’ll work together to ensure projects are designed properly and efficiently, maximize community benefits, and help improve lives across the country.

The winning projects have proven that they offer people attractive options for using bicycles and walking for local journeys and do not include any low-traffic neighborhood plans any. The local government has worked closely with local people to ensure the programs benefit the community at large.

Successful authorities have detailed the benefits of successful schemes, including Tamworth in Staffordshire, which will use funding to enable safe and active modes of travel to school, while Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in Devon will turn a disused railway line into a walking and cycling route to connect rural communities.

Safety and accessibility will be at the heart of improvements and creation of walking and cycling routes, meaning that the safety of women and children walking to school will be improved, and People in wheelchairs and mobility scooters will see street designs become more inclusive.

Government funding means cycling across the UK continues to thrive and is up 11% from pre-pandemic levels, up more than 20% over the past 10 years.

allocated funds

Funds are being provided for both the development and formulation of the plans. Some programs are only funded for development.

Read more about competency assessments.