- an additional 2 million children will now benefit from
programmes to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle to
school
- the initiatives will enable more young people to make active
choices when travelling in their communities
Up to 2 million more children will have access to walk-to-school
programmes and cycle training programmes over the next 2 years
thanks to a multimillion-pound investment announced by Active
Travel England (ATE)
today (29 September 2023).
The £60 million package will help parents have more confidence to
walk or cycle with their kids on the school run by funding
initiatives that give more children better road skills and aim to
help make it easier for parents to choose greener travel options.
The 2-year funding will include £50 million to
expand Bikeability
cycle training to a million more young people. This
scheme has already delivered training to more than 4 million
children since 2007.
A further £5 million will support walk-to-school programmes aimed
at hundreds of thousands of pupils in schools across England via
the charity Living Streets.
Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, said:
Giving kids transport independence and enabling them to walk,
wheel or cycle on the school run is what they want, and what we
want for them.
This £60 million funding package will help put the joy back into
journeys and create a generation of young people who feel
confident to make healthier and greener travel choices.
Decarbonisation Minister, , said:
The government wants children up and down the country to benefit
from the freedom as well as the huge mental and physical health
benefits of cycling. That is why it is investing £60 million in
this package of measures to support active travel for young
people.
Schools Minister, , said:
The journey to and from school is an essential part of the school
day for every child, and it’s encouraging that Active Travel
England is investing in active travel initiatives for children
and young people that can improve their health and wellbeing.
Many schools are already encouraging these initiatives locally
and this is being supported with our School Sport and Activity
Action Plan, which was published earlier this year.
The plan supports initiatives to increase active and safe travel
to school such as Walk to School Outreach, School Streets and
Bikeability – and these include inclusive delivery for children
with special educational needs and disabilities.
Also included in the package is £4 million to
extend Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival programme
to March 2025. The scheme has already engaged over 80,000 people
of all ages, helping them learn cycling basics and feel more
confident while pedalling.
Meanwhile, an additional £500,000 will fund an extension to
the Modeshift
STARS and Active Travel Ambassador schemes. The STARS
program provides recognition for schools, businesses and
organisations that show excellence in supporting and delivering
active travel plans in their community. Active Travel Ambassadors
work with secondary school students to encourage their peers to
travel actively.
Stephen Edwards, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:
This funding will support even more families to choose active
ways to travel to school, boosting the nation’s health, reducing
congestion and improving air quality.
Our programmes have been incredibly successful, playing a huge
role in helping more children walk to school. We look forward to
more pupils and schools joining us and reaping the benefits that
come from swapping the school run for a school walk.
Emily Cherry, Chief Executive of the Bikeability Trust, said:
What great news to wrap up Cycle to School Week. We
and ATE share an ambition that
every child has the confidence to cycle and can enjoy this skill
for life. This funding will help us and our brilliant Bikeability
instructors, training providers and grant recipients to work
towards that ambition this and next year. Together, we can make
sure that no child leaves school without the knowledge,
confidence and opportunity to cycle.
