UK Government Sets Target for 60% of Children to Walk or Cycle to School by 2035

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander formally unveiled England's new cycling and walking investment strategy, setting a target for at least 60% of five-to-16-year-olds to actively travel to school by 2035, compared to the current 47% recorded in 2023 government data. The plan also targets 55% of short urban trips to include some form of active travel by the same year, up from 48%, which ministers say would mean 5.3 million more people being physically active. Infrastructure commitments include 5,000 new walking, wheeling, and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings to be built by 2030, delivered in partnership with local authorities and Active Travel England. A further £135m will fund programmes to train children to travel safely and help schools develop travel plans. The strategy also promises a national active travel network with consistent signage and integration into route-mapping apps within five years. Active travel organisations including Living Streets, the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, and the Cycle to Work Alliance broadly welcomed the plans, though the challenge of reaching the school target is noted given it now encompasses secondary-age pupils who typically live farther from school. The plan applies only to England, as transport is largely devolved to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, each of which has its own active travel targets with mixed progress records.