On 12 June 2026, the Department for Transport set one of England's clearest active travel goals yet: by 2035, 55% of short trips in towns and cities should be made by walking, wheeling or cycling, while 60% of children aged 5 to 16 should get to school the same way. For climate policy, that matters because the biggest emissions gains often come from ordinary local travel, not only flagship transport projects. Ministers say more than £4.5 billion will be invested over the next five years, making this the largest funding package yet for active travel in England. The promise is cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, less congestion and streets that are cheaper and safer to use.

The strategy is built around delivery as much as ambition. Working with Active Travel England and councils, the government says it will create 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings by 2030, linking homes with schools, high streets and everyday services. Routes are also meant to connect better with public transport hubs, especially train stations, so walking or cycling becomes part of a single door-to-door system. That kind of street-level change can decide whether a family leaves the car at home or sees active travel as too awkward or too risky.

Published alongside Active Travel England's 2026 to 2030 delivery plan, Worth Every Step, the strategy treats active travel as more than a transport add-on. The Department for Transport says better local networks can cut congestion, reduce emissions, support local trade and make public transport easier to reach. There is a household budget case too. Government estimates suggest that if a family can give up a second car because short trips move to walking, wheeling or cycling, the average saving could be about £1,700 a year, or more than £17,000 over a decade. In a cost-of-living squeeze, that turns pavements, crossings and cycle links into useful economic infrastructure.

Health is central to the case ministers are making. According to the government, more active daily travel could free up around 1.7 million GP appointments a year and lead to 4.4 million fewer sick days. Health Secretary James Murray backed the plan as part of a wider push to improve physical health, mental wellbeing and reduce pressure on the NHS. Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty used the launch to make a familiar but important point: the largest gains often come when inactive people start doing some regular movement. That is why safe, practical routes matter. They help turn exercise from an extra task into part of daily life.

Chris Boardman, the National Active Travel Commissioner, has argued that the most effective changes are often the most ordinary: safer school runs, simple zebra crossings and routes that connect naturally with the places people already go. It is a grounded approach, and it fits what many councils have learnt from early active travel schemes. When streets feel predictable and low risk, more people use them. The strategy also signals a stronger cross-government approach, linking transport, health and local investment, while giving councils and regional leaders a bigger role in delivery. It sits within the government's Pride in Place programme, which is meant to give communities more say over neighbourhood renewal. That local control will matter if the funding is to reach areas where safe options are still missing.

Regional leaders used the launch to show how the policy could play out on the ground. In the West of England, Mayor Helen Godwin said tens of millions of pounds are expected to deliver almost 100 miles of new and improved routes, with a strong focus on school travel and links to buses, rail and future mass transit. Greater Manchester's Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey said the city-region is already seeing the value of joining active travel to the Bee Network, with about a third of all trips made actively and 90% of public transport users walking for at least part of their trip. In South Yorkshire, Mayor Oliver Coppard said more than 170 primary schools are involved in the Mayor's Walk and Wheel Challenge this year, alongside investment in safer crossings, School Streets and routes to school.

Campaigners welcomed the detail as much as the funding total. Living Streets, the charity linked to the country's first zebra crossings, said the pledge for 10,000 more crossings and 5,000 safer routes to school could make healthier travel choices much easier for families. That matters because small design changes often do more for confidence than big slogans. For Eco Current readers, this is where the policy becomes tangible. A child who can cross safely, an older resident who can reach the shops without a car, or a commuter who can cycle to the station without mixing with fast traffic are not side benefits. They are the real measure of whether cleaner transport is improving daily life.

The challenge now is delivery. A £4.5 billion commitment is substantial, but targets for 2030 and 2035 will only mean much if councils can build quickly, design well and focus first on places where the street network still puts people off walking or cycling. Residents will judge this plan by what appears outside the front door, not by what is promised in Whitehall. If the government and local authorities get that right, the gains stack up quickly: lower household costs, less road danger, fewer car miles, stronger local high streets and cleaner air around schools. For England's climate goals, that is the practical opportunity in this strategy. It brings emissions policy down to street level and gives communities something concrete to use, measure and improve.