Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking with local authorities to increase the number of dedicated cycle lines.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards, including dedicated cycling routes. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over 2024/25-25/26. Local authorities are responsible for deciding on how to invest the funding, in line with local priorities.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to make cycling (a) safer and (b) more accessible through funding for (i) protected cycle lanes, (ii) well-lit routes and (iii) other new infrastructure.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government treats road safety very seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more detail when possible.
In the Spending Review we announced that we are allocating £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure, which can include segregated cycle lanes and lighting.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support public awareness campaigns aimed at improving cycling safety for women in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England is working with local authorities to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure which aims to help women feel safer when cycling. Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. This can include providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety, and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes.
In February, we announced almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This can be used by local authorities to support the development of direct and safe cycling routes. Surrey Council has been awarded over £1.4 million in capital funding for 24/25 and over £4.4 million in revenue funding for 24/25 and capital funding for 25/26.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This refreshed guidance placed particular emphasis on the safety of vulnerable road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders. The campaign specifically highlighted the new rules and educated both drivers and cyclists, ensuring that cyclists understood their rights and responsibilities while clarifying how drivers should behave around them.
Currently, THINK! is running a “Pedestrian Crossing” radio advert via the Fillers service, which allows broadcasters to air public service messages at no cost. The advert raises awareness about safe driving speeds and passing distances, reminding drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists and to give adequate space to horse riders.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of (a) direct and (b) safe cycling routes in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England is working with local authorities to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure which aims to help women feel safer when cycling. Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. This can include providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety, and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes.
In February, we announced almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This can be used by local authorities to support the development of direct and safe cycling routes. Surrey Council has been awarded over £1.4 million in capital funding for 24/25 and over £4.4 million in revenue funding for 24/25 and capital funding for 25/26.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This refreshed guidance placed particular emphasis on the safety of vulnerable road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders. The campaign specifically highlighted the new rules and educated both drivers and cyclists, ensuring that cyclists understood their rights and responsibilities while clarifying how drivers should behave around them.
Currently, THINK! is running a “Pedestrian Crossing” radio advert via the Fillers service, which allows broadcasters to air public service messages at no cost. The advert raises awareness about safe driving speeds and passing distances, reminding drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists and to give adequate space to horse riders.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the safety of women cyclists in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Active Travel England is working with local authorities to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure which aims to help women feel safer when cycling. Design guidance for new infrastructure, such as that funded through the Active Travel Fund, requires that new schemes are accessible to all users, including women. This can include providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety, and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes.
In February, we announced almost £300 million funding for active travel in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This can be used by local authorities to support the development of direct and safe cycling routes. Surrey Council has been awarded over £1.4 million in capital funding for 24/25 and over £4.4 million in revenue funding for 24/25 and capital funding for 25/26.
Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This refreshed guidance placed particular emphasis on the safety of vulnerable road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders. The campaign specifically highlighted the new rules and educated both drivers and cyclists, ensuring that cyclists understood their rights and responsibilities while clarifying how drivers should behave around them.
Currently, THINK! is running a “Pedestrian Crossing” radio advert via the Fillers service, which allows broadcasters to air public service messages at no cost. The advert raises awareness about safe driving speeds and passing distances, reminding drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists and to give adequate space to horse riders.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has considered including equestrianism within the definition of active travel for (a) planning and (b) other relevant policy purposes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has no plans to include equestrianism within the definition of active travel.
Decisions on infrastructure to support horse-riding are a matter for local authorities. Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans enable local authorities to take a strategic approach to planning local walking and cycling improvements, and to integrate these into wider plans for transport and economic development. We encourage and expect local authorities to consult with local groups such as equestrians as part of their stakeholder engagement.
Asked by: Tom Rutland (Labour - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote walking and cycling.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Walking, wheeling, and cycling are convenient, sustainable ways to travel—and this government is committed to making them safe and accessible for everyone.
To support this, we’re allocating £616 million in capital funding over the next four years to help local authorities deliver high-quality active travel infrastructure. Details on revenue funding will be announced in due course, alongside a consultation on the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.
Active travel will also play a central role in our Integrated National Transport Strategy, set to be published later this year.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to extend UK e-scooter rental trials until 2028 on (a) private and (b) public funding of active travel infrastructure.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of e-scooter trial extensions on active travel infrastructure investment.
In the Spending Review we announced £616 million for Active Travel England from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support initiatives aimed at increasing cycling participation among women and girls.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department and Active Travel England (ATE) work with local authorities and other delivery partners to support active travel outreach programmes for underrepresented groups, including women and girls. This includes funding for Bikeability cycle training for children and outreach programmes to engage underrepresented groups through Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival programme and local authorities.
In addition, ATE is working with local authorities across England to provide high-quality cycling infrastructure including as part of wider transport schemes. This includes providing lighting for walking and cycling schemes, improving social safety and delivering road safety improvements to existing schemes.
Responsibility for many aspects of transport in Scotland, including active travel, is devolved. My honourable friend the member for Edinburgh South West may wish to speak to the Scottish Government regarding steps taken to increase cycling participation among women and girls in Scotland.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what long-term funding her Department has allocated to facilitate (a) cycling and (b) walking in Eastbourne constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 12 February, the Department and Active Travel England announced local authority allocations of the Consolidated Active Travel Fund. Of this funding, East Sussex County Council has been awarded £1,110,557 in revenue funding for 2024/25 and capital funding for 2025/26. It will be for East Sussex County Council to allocate this funding in line with local investment priorities, including to support schemes in the Eastbourne constituency.
The Spending Review announced £616 million for active travel infrastructure from 2026-27 to 2029-30, Active Travel England will set out future allocations from this funding in due course.
The Government also announced a further £2.3 billion to local authorities through the Local Transport Grant (LTG). This funding will support local authorities to invest in their local transport priorities, including schemes to support walking and cycling. East Sussex County Council has been awarded over £22 million up to 2029/30 through the LTG.