Children across England are set to receive free cycle training as part of a new £108 million active travel funding package announced by the government today.
The funding, revealed by Active Travel England and transport minister Lilian Greenwood at the end of March, will be rolled out over the next three years to “deliver hands-on training, community programmes and school initiatives”.
The cash injection will also lead to "healthier lives, lower costs, and less pressure on our roads and NHS", according to Chris Boardman, the government's active travel commissioner.
The package includes a major boost for the Bikeability scheme, which has provided cycle training to more than five million children since 2007.
Local authorities across England will receive a share of the funding, with Bikeability to provide support, advice and guidance.
The wider package includes funding to help adults return to cycling, and support to encourage more families to walk to school as part of their daily routine.
“Our investment is about giving people of all ages the opportunity to choose healthier, more affordable and sustainable ways to travel,” says transport minister Lilian Greenwood.
“Active travel plays an important role in strengthening pride in place, creating streets and neighbourhoods that people feel safer in, more connected to, and proud to call home.”
Bikeability will receive a £78 million boost as part of the package, which also supports a range of national active travel programmes, including:
- £8 million for Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival, which supports adults – with a focus on disabled people and women – to get back on their bikes
- £16.1 million for Living Streets’ Walk to School Outreach programme, which works with primary schools to help more children and families make walking part of their daily routine
- £3.1 million for Modeshift, to run the STARS (Sustainable Travel Accreditation and Recognition) travel planning award scheme and Active Travel Ambassadors programme, which empowers secondary school students to encourage peers to travel actively
- £2 million to support England’s 10 National Park Authorities, with the goal of further developing accessible active travel networks
- Up to £1 million for selected ports and airports across England to develop active travel network plans
The announcement comes as the cost of living and climate concerns continue to shape how people think about everyday travel.
The investment will also ease pressure on the NHS and reduce congestion on roads, according to Chris Boardman, the former Olympic cycling champion, and now the government’s active travel commissioner.
“This is a practical investment that changes how people move every day,” says Boardman.
“It’s a child gaining the confidence to ride to school, a family choosing to walk, or someone getting back on a bike because it finally feels possible.
“Those small shifts add up quickly – to healthier lives, lower costs, and less pressure on our roads and NHS.”
