The East of England is the perfect place to create the future of Active Travel
Promoting the switch from private car to active travel can support our decarbonisation ambitions
The Government set a target of 50% of all trips in urban areas to be made by walking, cycling, and wheeling - also known as active travel - and we share that ambition.
Active travel can play an important role in keeping people healthier and helping to prevent thousands of premature deaths from physical inactivity and poor air quality. There is also growing evidence of its positive impact on mental health and wellbeing.
Increasing the number of people choosing active travel for short journeys also has significant environmental benefits, helping to reduce carbon emissions and reducing congestion and noise pollution on our roads.
The provision of safe active travel infrastructure creates easy access to destinations such as employment, education, healthcare and leisure facilities.
More direct and better-connected routes can also help to support inter-modal journeys e.g. cycling to a bus stop or rail station, which can help encourage people the switch from driving to active travel.
Local Transport Authorities and Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plans
Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) have been encouraged to implement a Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plan (LCWIP).
These plans help to identify long-term walking, wheeling and cycling networks, along with the supporting infrastructure and behaviour changes required, to create a transformation in the numbers of people walking, wheeling and cycling.
Developing an LCWIP helps an authority make a strong case for future investment in active travel infrastructure. These plans prioritise local investment tailored to the characteristics of the areas they cover.
We are championing the development and deployment of these plans, ensuring a consistent quality standard across the region.
We’re working with Sustrans to support active travel in the East
Transport East has worked with Sustrans - the UK's national walking, wheeling and cycling charity - to understand how local transport authorities are progressing with their plans to enable more people to use active travel for journeys.
In 2020, we started working on an Active Travel plan for the East and reviewed the progress of LCWIPs in 2024.
The active travel plan is structured as follows:
- Introduction - the need for an Active Travel plan in the region, in line with the wider Transport Strategy, and Government policy
- 2024 reflection - Maps showing the data collected via surveys from the different councils and how their LCWIP’s are progressing, along with funding received to enable these
- Active Travel in England, and the region - the state of play right now
- Unique Challenges and Opportunities - the key challenges that the region faces and present opportunities for Active Travel.
- Pathway to 2050 - the Vision for Active Travel over the next 30 years
- Active Travel Investment Needs - the investment 'Asks' for the region, to achieve its Vision over the next 30 years
- Evidence Base - detailed data analysis of current information, relevant to the challenges and opportunities for Active Travel in the region
You can read the plan and 2024 updates in the embedded document below. Please note it's best to view this from a larger screen, rather than a mobile.
The next steps
There is significant potential for more people to walk, cycle and wheel in our towns, cities and rural communities.
However, safety and security concerns, lack of infrastructure, poor information, and other barriers are some of the reasons that people experience when considering active travel. This results in people preferring to drive, even for short distance journeys.
Transport East will continue to work with our LTAs to share best practice across the region, learning from each other and providing a collaborative approach to delivering the LCWIPs.
Our Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence is well equipped and connected to advise our rural communities on active travel initiatives.