Vibrant, bustling streets, healthier communities and a greener future are now closer than ever, thanks to the government and Active Travel England’s recent announcement of £291 million of funding for walking and cycling projects.
Announced in February 2025, the funding is allocated to local authorities in England on an individual basis, and to a number of cycling charities including Bikeability Trust, Sustrans and Cycling UK.
| Allocation | Funding |
|---|---|
| Active Travel Fund (2024/25) | £54,200,000 |
| Consolidated Active Travel Fund (2025 to 2026) | £168,500,000 |
| Bikeability | £30,000,000 |
| Sustrans | £30,000,000 |
| Cycling UK, Living Streets and Modeshift | £8,500,000 |
| Total | £291,200,000 |
Alongside the funding, Active travel England also published A best practice guide to community consultation and engagement. This helpful tool will aid authorities in delivering clear and equitable value from their active travel projects.
The announcement emphasises the benefits of active travel beyond transportation, with an estimated 43,000 fewer health related absences from work, and a £9 million boost to local economies fuelled by increased footfall to businesses close to walking and cycling routes.
While the announcement equivocates the funding to 300 miles of new walkways and cycle lanes, secure cycle parking is critical to getting the highest value from new and existing infrastructure projects. To harness the increase in overall health and spending power from an uptick in cycle journeys, cyclists must be able to park their bikes at their destination without fear of theft. The Met Police estimates that 320,000 cycles are stolen each year; failure to address this issue will severely limit the usage of new infrastructure as residents remain deterred by the risk of theft.
Maximising cycling infrastructure with secure parking
As part of the Glasgow Avenues Programme, Cyclehoop installed a network of 20 Trips Bikehangars at strategic locations across the city centre. With six fully secure, weatherproof cycle parking spaces at each location members of the public can make use of the new cycle routes safe in the knowledge that their bikes are stored securely at their destination. Customers access the Bikehangars through a smartphone app and their parked bikes protected from opportunistic thieves.
A Trips Bikehangar in Maidstone.
Providing for the next generation of cyclists
As part of the funding, Active travel England has committed £30 million to the Bikeability trust. This charity does amazing work helping ensure that children and adults are given essential road safety training, equipping them with the confidence to choose cycling for everyday mobility.
Another £30 million is allocated to Sustrans, an organisation that does endless work to maintain and expand the National Cycle Network.. Cyclehoop recently collaborated with Sustrans to understand how we can improve cycle parking for people on a low income.
As a Corporate Premium Partner of Modeshift, our visions are very much aligned. Modeshift strives towards a world in which communities are free to make healthy and sustainable travel choices where active travel is seen as the norm. The funding they have received will support the growth of their Modeshift STARS schemes and expand the Active Travel Ambassadors programme to more regions.
Living Streets works to create a nation where walking is the natural choice for everyday local journeys. They do this through developing design standard for walking, and listening to, and championing diverse voices.
Cycle routes, infrastructure, education and secure cycle parking are all part of the cycling ecosystem. They must be delivered in combination to effectively encourage people to cycle. We look forward to working with local authorities to deliver new cycle parking projects, get in touch to find out how we can help bring your project to life.