The Department for Transport has today (12 June) published the third cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS3). The UK Government is projected to spend £4.5bn over the next 5 years, aiming to achieve 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings, connecting homes with schools, high streets and local services by 2030.

The Department for Transport (DfT) aims for over half of all short urban trips to be walked or cycled by 2035, supported by three core objectives: improving public health, integrating travel modes, and enhancing road safety.

The new cycling and walking investment strategy sets a national target for people to hit the pavement or pedals for 55% of short trips in towns and for 60% of children aged 5 to 16 to travel actively to school by the same year.

The third cycling and walking investment strategy is available to read here.

The Third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3) directly aligns with the recommendations and findings of the CIHT reports ‘Making a case for active travel’ and ‘Overcoming the barriers to implementing active travel schemes’ across several key areas, including preventative healthcare, funding stability, regulatory reform, and the integration of transport and planning.

Preventative Healthcare and Cross-Government Working

Both the CWIS3 and the CIHT reports emphasize shifting from a "reactive" healthcare model to a "proactive, preventative" one by using active travel to reduce the burden on the NHS.

• Alignment on Health Goals: CIHT highlights that physical activity can reduce the risk of dementia and depression by 30% and heart disease by 40%. CWIS3 aligns with this by making active travel its most direct contribution to the government’s 10-year Health Plan, projecting that its targets will gain 45,000 years of life and prevent over four million sick days annually.
• Governance: CIHT recommends "joined-up governance" and working with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). CWIS3 adopts this by convening a cross-departmental working group involving the DfT and Active Travel England (ATE) to coordinate activity across health, planning, and environmental departments.

Long-term Funding and Economic Case

The strategy reflects CIHT’s call for stable, multi-year funding to replace fragmented, short-term competitive bidding.

• Investment Levels: CIHT reports that every £1 spent on active travel returns an average of £5.62. CWIS3 provides the "record multi-year funding" CIHT advocated for, projecting a total investment of £4.555 billion between 2025/26 and 2029/30.
• Devolution: Both documents support empowering leaders at a local level. CWIS3 allocates over £760 million of devolved funding for mayoral and local authorities to design their own phased network plans.

Regulatory Reform and Infrastructure Barriers

CWIS3 commits to several specific regulatory changes that CIHT identified as major barriers to implementation.

• TSRGD Updates: CIHT recommends amending the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) to facilitate simpler crossing designs. CWIS3 aligns by pledging to update the TSRGD by 2028, specifically including new, simpler zebra crossings for side roads.
• Pavement Parking: CIHT advocates for empowering local authorities to ban and enforce against pavement parking. CWIS3 confirms the government will provide new devolved powers to prohibit pavement parking and will regulate in 2026 to make "unnecessary obstruction of the pavement" a civilly enforceable offense.
• Planning Standards: Both support a "vision-led" approach to planning rather than "predict and provide". CWIS3 tasks ATE with using statutory powers to ensure new housing developments include high-quality active travel provision from the outset.

Safety and Network Integration

The strategy mirrors CIHT’s focus on creating safe, coherent networks that treat active travel as a primary mode of transport.

• Safe Routes to School: CIHT identifies the need for safe networks to encourage behaviour change. CWIS3 prioritizes a national Safe Routes to School programme, aiming for 60% of children to walk or cycle to school by 2035.
• Multimodal Integration: CIHT calls for secure bike parking at transport hubs. CWIS3 commits to improving cycle parking at rail stations through Great British Railways (GBR) business plans and an ATE-developed framework for route connectivity.
• Maintenance: CIHT emphasises that well-maintained roads are essential for safety, noting that hundreds of cyclists are injured by potholes annually. CWIS3 aligns by integrating active travel into the Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) and collaborating with National Highways on maintenance.

CIHT has developed the CIHT Learn course ‘Introduction to LTN 1/20 and other active travel guidance’ on designing cycling infrastructure for communities and people. It highlights important aspects of government guidance documents, including LTN 1/20, through the use of case studies and highway design standards and where it interfaces with other guidance documents.

Participants will gain understanding for why designing for cycling is important, how it can be applied across links, junctions, ancillary infrastructure, construction and maintenance, recognise the policies and principles of LTN 1/20 and their impact, develop techniques for designing cycle lanes, and understand the importance of engaging with everyone to ensure inclusive design.

CIHT looks forward to continuing to work with the Department for Transport, Active Travel England, the UK Government and wider stakeholders in delivering the CWIS3 and ensuring that the UK’s transport network is fully fit for the future.