Active travel, or walking, wheeling and cycling, is the most sustainable and healthy transport option. It provides huge societal benefits as set out in Gear Change: a bold vision or cycling and walking (published under Boris Johnson's government).

To improve the quality of cycle facilities, the government produced national design guidelines for cycle infrastructure: Local Transport Note 1/20. These should be the standards used for all new cycle infrastructure. However, this isn't always the case. National Highways, for example, gets away with using lower quality standards CD143, by designating paths as shared. Perversely this allows it to build narrower paths even though with people walking and cycling together there should be more room not less.

Labour, like the Conservatives is refusing to provide the funding to deliver the change needed. Its pledge of £616m over 4 years is less than that promised in the early 2020s. It also doesn't restore the unlawful £200m cut made by Rishi Sunak, which we challenged when others were afraid to speak out. The draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3) doesn't inspire confidence that things will change much either.

For most people their combined, county, metropolitan or unitary authority will be responsible for transport in their area, so check them out to see what they are doing.

Rural Campaigner Guide

Laura Laker, with funding from the Foundation for Integrated Transport has produced the following guide to help people campaign for traffic-free routes in rural areas. It's called: Rural path campaigns: where magic meets tarmac.

It's full of useful tips, such as working with landowners, case studies, and audio recordings of campaigners around the country, recounting their experiences. It's a Google document with links on the Contents page that allow you to jump directly to where you want to be.

Organisational Help

If you want help from a national organisation, you can contact our own Low Traffic Future, or Cycling UK, Living Streets, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans), or Wheels for Wellbeing (who campaign for inclusive cycling). It is also worth looking at guidance that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced.

All of these bodies have a wealth of information and resources to help you. Cycling UK also has its Cycle Advocacy Network, where you can find local cycle champions. If you can't find what you need or want some wider advice or support, please do get in touch.