2023 has arrived and with it comes a brand-new scheme from the Department for Transport designed to help millions of us to cycle more over the years to come.
In this post, we discuss everything you need to know about the £32.9 million Active Travel Capability Fund – exploring how the fund will work, its goals, our thoughts, and much more.
What is the Active Travel Capability Fund’s goal?
The multimillion-pound scheme has been introduced with the goal of encouraging millions of people to take up cycling or walking to “stay fit and save money”.
Training staff at local councils is a fundamental element of the programme, with a focus on giving staff the capacity to improve how they design and create active travel schemes within their community.
Innovation is also at the heart of the scheme, with the Department for Transport hoping that better designed school safety zones, cycling infrastructure on local high streets and new cycle paths can give people the confidence to get cycling.
For the end user, increasing people’s ‘health and wealth’ is core to the project – estimates by Cycling UK indicate that taking short bike journeys could save an average of £126 in fuel costs annually and can help burn hundreds of extra calories weekly.
Finally, research indicates that safety concerns are amongst the biggest barriers to taking up cycling and the hope is that the fund can be used to give people greater confidence to get out on their bikes.
How will the fund work?
Active Travel England, the executive agency of the Department for Transport that is responsible for promoting active travel, will be distributing the £32.9 million fund to create a ‘national network of experts’ to make walking and cycling more accessible across the country’s towns and cities.
The goal is for the fund to be ‘hyper local’, helping people cycle “out the front door to go to the shops, or to go to the train on the tram station.”
The fund is designed to put power in the hands of local councillors to effect change in their area – this will be delivered by providing support that is tailored to the needs of individual councils.
Devon County Council has already been awarded £580,000 from the fund, with the money going towards the design of cycle routes, expanding local adult cycle confidence sessions, and expanding public engagement.
It is hoped that the fund could create up to 1,300 new jobs across England and deliver thousands of local active travel plans that are made alongside the communities that will use them.
What have the department said?
On announcement of the Active Travel Capability Fund, active travel minister Jesse Norman said: “Better designed schemes, which take into account the views of local people will help deliver improvements that have widespread local support.
“Skills training and local community engagement will help local authorities to make active travel an attractive choice for getting around.”
Active Travel England’s commissioner and gold medal Olympian Chris Boardman said: “If we want to enable hundreds of thousands more people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday trips then we need to deliver high-quality schemes that make it feel easy, fun and safe.”
Speaking to Forbes, he also said: “We need to build an army of engineers and local officers who are capable of delivering to a consistently high standard across a whole country.”This is about giving people a genuine choice in how they travel because one of those choices—active travel—is underrepresented. And we need skilled people who can navigate the system.”
What do others have to say?
Xavier Brice, CEO of Sustrans said: “Sustrans is pleased to see this investment in training and community engagement which will ultimately lead to high-quality infrastructure developments across England that help people choose to use their cars less.
“This funding is crucial in ensuring that travelling actively is a safe and accessible option for all, particularly as we work towards the government’s goal of 50 per cent of all journeys in towns and cities being walked or cycled by 2030.”
Want to get on two-wheels this year? Read our guide to starting cycling
Our thoughts
There’s no doubt that any scheme to increase the number of cyclists across the country is good news.
Having the knowledge to make informed decisions on how best to facilitate active travel at a local level will be integral to growing cyclist numbers across the country.
If coupled with a further willingness to continue to invest in the nation’s physical cycling infrastructure, this is a step in the right direction as the country pushes to meet ambitious decarbonisation goals.
With cycling a convenient way to get fitter and healthier, we are optimistic about the benefits this could potentially bring to many people across the country.
From the growing cost of fuel to the need to reduce greenhouse gases, lead healthier lifestyles, and deliver better air quality in our towns and cities, cycling has so many benefits.
Decades of infrastructure policy have been based on the car being the nation’s preferred mode of transport, which has seen the United Kingdom lag well behind contemporaries such as Denmark and the Netherlands when it comes to hopping onto two wheels.
By increasing skills and knowledge at the local level, this fund can play a valuable role in delivering active plans that meet local needs.
As Active Travel England looks to announce several initiatives this year, we hope the Active Travel Capability Fund can be the start for some ambitious programmes across the coming 12 months.
