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Active Travel: Finance

Asked by Greg SmithConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 1 July 2026UIN 12261

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of active travel funding approvals since 2020 have relied on projected or estimated cycling usage figures rather than independently audited counts.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood

In line with other transport modes, submissions for active travel funding have not traditionally been underpinned by independently audited traffic counts but Active Travel England (ATE) provides guidance to local authorities on conducting effective appraisal, monitoring and evaluation, which supports generation of accurate baselines for walking and cycling. Additionally, since 2024/25, authorities have had more flexibility in how to use active travel funding and applications are no longer formally approved by ATE. Instead, applications are assured against value for money, design quality and deliverability criteria.

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