Morning, Thursday, 20th March 2025
Online
This conference will discuss the next steps for active travel in England.
It will bring together stakeholders with policymakers to examine key areas for investment and priorities for implementation, with the Government pledging an additional £100m in the Autumn Budget 2024 for walking and cycling infrastructure in 2025-26.
Looking more widely at the direction of Government policy, sessions will consider next steps for regional authorities in developing active travel policy to best serve their communities following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper in December, and the role that Active Travel England will play in supporting the proposed strategic authorities to increase active travel capabilities. We also expect discussion on the support that may need to be put in place for local authorities to enable them to effectively develop and deliver their plans.
In the context of further key developments for 2025, it will be a timely opportunity to assess support for active travel in the forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy, as it is consulted on by Government. Delegates will discuss next steps for putting in place the necessary infrastructure in preparation for the upcoming spending review in June, alongside considerations for public messaging, engagement and urban planning to encourage uptake of active travel.
Further sessions will explore how active travel can best support broader government objectives, including decarbonising the transport network and the pathway to reaching net zero. Practical considerations will be discussed for implementing recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2024 to enable active travel to be utilised as a lever to improve public health, as well as the role that modal shift can play in driving economic growth and reducing inequalities by improving regional connectivity.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Jonny Mood, Director, Transport Value for Money, NAO; and Stephen Frost, Principal Research Fellow and Co-Head, Transport Policy, IPPR. Further senior participants are being approached.
Overall, areas for discussion 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
- active travel and Government commitments to investment in urban transport, such as the West Yorkshire Mass Transit System
- National Cycle Network: assessing responsibilities, structure and delivery - linking up the NCN with the wider transport network
- increasing uptake: tackling access issues - strategies for improving public messaging - infrastructure priorities - addressing safety concerns and supporting the appeal of active travel more widely
- 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
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
