Active Journeys

We make it possible for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle - building healthy and greener habits for life

Two children walking next to their bikes smiling at each other

We bring our local knowledge and national expertise in behaviour change and community engagement to make a real difference in active travel for everyone. 

We’re market-leading experts in designing travel which create happier lives and healthier places for everyone.

We help to change behaviours, outlook and expectations of local communities through our active journeys offer across the UK.

Active Journeys is a multi-year programme, with the overall aim of increasing the number of children, young people and school staff regularly travelling actively.

The programme is delivering a package of interventions to schools aimed at supporting change in school travel behaviour.

These interventions encourage a shift from inactive modes, like driving, to active modes such as walking, wheeling, cycling and scootering.

We help create liveable cities and towns (add relevant stats from Janine)

25%

increase in active school travel in Wales

50,000

Active journeys were logged in In 23/24 as part of active travel challenges in Bristol, Cornwall, and Plymouth

500

We've worked with over 500 schools across Northern Ireland

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We are the UK’s leading delivery partner for school-based active travel

We design streets and neighbourhoods with green and blue infrastructure at the heart of towns and cities.

Our team of designers works with the community to create healthy and accessible places for the people living in it.

Acting as a critical friend, we review designs, advise on strategy and provide evidence-based guidance.

We deliver training, share data on behaviour and infrastructure, and carry out Street Access and Inclusivity Audits to support evidence-based decisions and long-term change.

The programme is flexible in its delivery.

By aligning with curriculum goals in schools and the strategic objectives of government authorities we maximise the efficacy of our active travel interventions. 

  • families walking to aschool

    Creating safe school streets

    We know that children want to travel actively, but the biggest barrier is concerns over safety.

    We work with local authorities and schools around the UK to make it possible for every child to travel to school actively and safely.

    We are experts in all phases of school street delivery - from urban design and planning to helping schools embed active travel into school culture.

    We’ve been trusted by local authorities and schools across the UK to develop more than 750 School Street projects. 

    Read about our latest projects

  • Neighbourhoods and co-design

    We are experts in designing low-traffic neighbourhoods and healthy streets.

    Our design and engineering team works across multiple scales, specialities, and spaces. 

    We make it easier to walk, wheel and cycle by creating healthy, sociable, accessible and inspiring places with and for communities.

    Working together with local councils, communities and businesses we create change that works for everyone. 

    Read about our latest projects

  • The Big Walk and Wheel and FRideDays Bike Bus

    The Big Walk and Wheel and FRideDays Bike Bus engages thousands of schools and pupils nationwide to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle to school; driving long-term behaviour change and supporting safer school streets. 

    Both initiatives offer scalable, evidence‑backed ways to increase active school travel, reduce congestion around school gates, and improve air quality in line with statutory environmental and transport goals.

    Find out more about Big Walk and Wheel

    Find out more about FRideDays Bike Bus

It’s great to see the council working with Walk Wheel Cycle Trust and local young people to make changes which can make travelling to and from school safer, healthier, less polluting and a more enjoyable overall experience.
Councillor Diane Roscoe, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families

Delivering a win for your strategic priorities

We are experts working with local authorities to deliver to your strategic needs and priorities.  

Our active travel offer supports local authority goals by reducing congestion and improving air quality through fewer car‑dependent trips.

The offer aligns with public-sector sustainability targets while delivering scalable solutions that enhance community health and economic resilience.

By investing in our active travel offer, we can support you meet statutory environmental commitments and demonstrate measurable social value.

(Louisa and Matt to check and add to. Does it mention LA's problem and how we have the solution?)

  • Community Engagement

    We work directly with communities, including less represented groups, to identify the barriers to active travel and develop solutions that meet everyone’s needs.

    Community engagement is at the heart of our approach. 

    We put people first, using co-design and genuine engagement to reflect local voices and build a strong sense of ownership.

    Our team engages local residents, families, and community groups through tailored outreach, events, and partnerships.

    Many of the groups we support continue to grow long after a project ends.

  • Improved health and wellbeing

    Our active journeys projects create long‑term, positive behaviour change around everyday travel.

    By making it easier and more attractive for people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling, our offer helps address the root causes of poor health linked to inactivity and car‑dependent travel.

    Increased physical activity can protect against a range of preventable health conditions and boosts mental wellbeing.

    For children and young people, walking and cycling to school are linked to better mood, independence, socialisation; benefiting both their physical and emotional development.

  • Progress on climate, inclusion and transport goals

    Active travel reduces car dependency, lowers emissions, and supports public health and environmental sustainability.

    It contributes to more resilient communities by improving connectivity, reducing transport costs, and enhancing local liveability through behaviour change. 

    Our approach includes securing leases and access rights, designing for biodiversity and ecology, and removing barriers to ensure inclusive access for everyone.

    We create and develop greenways and traffic-free paths that connect people with places and nature.

  • Strategic investment value

    Public Health England and other bodies highlight active travel as a “win-win” for health, environment, and local productivity.

    Our programmes deliver measurable impact aligned with national policy and local priorities.

    Our active travel programmes offer insight and expertise needed to deliver successful active travel schemes that create lasting change for communities, councils and the wider area.

    Because when we change how we travel, we change everything.

    Our health. Our wellbeing. Our world.

From the outset, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust's approach to contract delivery was professional, measured and straight to the task in hand.
Rob Ashford, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Partner with us for lasting change

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust works with hundreds of clients and partners across the UK to make it possible for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle. 

Since 1977, we've been providing support and consultancy on a wide range of schemes which make active journeys safer, easier and more appealing to even more people.

Together, we’re helping transform towns and cities into healthier, greener places that benefit communities and empower change. 

Find out how to partner with us

If you are interested in working with us, please get in touch.

Our transformative projects across the UK

  • A small girl riding her bike in the foreground, with people cycling behind her in the background on a residential street.

    Creating safer school streets in England

    Since 2023, Sefton Council and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust have been working in partnership on several collaborative design projects, with the goal of making school neighbourhoods and school journeys in Sefton safer for everyone.

    Active travel is helping to encourage autonomy and independence in older children, and greater social interaction within the school community.

    Creating safer school streets in Sefton
  • Community wealth building in Scotland

    Our latest research looks at how active travel could help facilitate Community Wealth Building – an approach that emphasises the ‘local’ in local economy.

    It means money is reinvested in the community, helping to tackle inequalities and reduce demand on public services in a just and fair way.

    Community Wealth Building and active travel: a practical vision for thriving communities
  • A parent and child from Ysgol Pendalar, Caernarfon, taking part in a sponsored walk and wheel.

    Students at Ysgol Pendalar in Wales champion inclusivity in active travel

    Students from Ysgol Pendalar, an additional learning needs school in Caernarfon, recently took part in a sponsored walk and wheel to fundraise for a fleet of adaptive bikes for the school.

    Working in partnership with Gwynedd Council’s Road Safety team and Walk Wheel Cycle Trust’ Active Journeys programme, the school has championed inclusion so that everyone at the school can take part in travelling actively.

    North Wales pupils raise money to buy fleet of adaptive bicycles

  • The Lord Mayor of Belfast wearing her gold chain of office stands over a bicycle while a man and a woman stand on either side of her holding bicycle helmets.

    Active Travel Hub boosts walking and cycling in West Belfast

    In partnership with communities, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust co-designs programmes and runs activities for local people to learn new skills and get active.

    The Active Travel Hub in Belfast gives individuals and groups in the area more opportunities to take part in the Belfast Community Active Travel (#BCAT) programme.

    Whiterock Active Travel Hub to boost walking and cycling in West Belfast

We influence policy and drive sustainable change — explore our latest advocacy and policy work to see how.