- 43% of urban journeys under 5 miles are walked or cycled
- 68% of residents want more direct walking and wheeling routes
from housing to bus stops
- 70% want pavements free from parked cars
- 88% of women feel unsafe walking alone after dark (see notes
to editors).
The Urban Transport Group (UTG) has today published a new report
highlighting the crucial role of walking, wheeling and cycling in
creating genuinely integrated transport networks.
The report, From Doorstep to Destination: Enabling joined up
journeys, highlights how every public transport journey starts
and ends with a local trip. Whether travelling by bus, tram or
train, people need to be able to walk, wheel or cycle from their
home to a stop or station to reach their destination.
Walking and cycling account for 1 in 3 of all journeys,
increasing to almost half of journeys under 5 miles in towns and
cities. But the report finds that many everyday routes remain
unattractive, inconvenient or may feel unsafe because active
travel has historically been under-prioritised in terms of
funding, policy focus and street space.
The report comes as the Government aims to increase active
travel, with the third cycling and walking investment strategy
(CWIS3) setting a target for more than half (55%) of all short
journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2035.
UTG's report sets out practical recommendations to improve local
transport connectivity, including:
-
Enabling wider use of low-cost non-prescribed zebra
crossings to accelerate the roll-out of safer
pedestrian crossings with much lower installation costs.
-
Supporting local authorities to reduce pavement
parking using new enforcement powers introduced
under the Devolution Act 2026.
-
Embedding best practice in street
design through an updated Manual for Streets.
-
Broaden highways maintenance funding to
include footpaths and cycle infrastructure as well as roads.
-
Improving real and perceived safety across local
transport networks through the Road Safety
Strategy.
-
Providing better safety
measures including well-maintained pavements,
safer road crossings and more crossing points.
-
Using long-term revenue funding to help
local authorities unlock greater value from capital investment
and deliver integrated networks.
-
More cycle parking at train stations and safer station
access to encourage more sustainable end-to-end
journeys.
-
Building new developments that are integrated with
public transport by putting more focus on active
travel in the planning process.
Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport
Group, said:
If we want truly integrated public transport, we need to focus on
the whole trip, from doorstep to destination. When people cannot
safely or easily walk, wheel or cycle to a stop or station,
public transport becomes less accessible and less attractive.
Our report shows how small, practical steps can improve local
connectivity, making sustainable travel a more realistic choice
for more people and helping to create a better connected
transport network.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Download the report: From Doorstep to Destination:
Enabling joined-up journeys
