Today, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust welcomes the announcement of £104 million from Active Travel England to improve and maintain walking, wheeling and cycling routes in England.
Credit: Insight Photography, 2025
A step forward for active travel
Until now, funding for the National Cycle Network has generally been awarded annually, which creates a level of uncertainty and makes it challenging to plan for the long term.
This new four-year investment will allow Walk Wheel Cycle Trust to develop more effective programmes of work that build on one another and deliver greater benefits for communities across England.
Sarah Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at Walk Wheel Cycle Trust said of the announcement: "The National Cycle Network is a critical part of the UK’s transport infrastructure, making it possible for people to walk, wheel and cycle with confidence. It connects us to places and people we care about and gives us space to enjoy our beautiful environment.
Creating safe, accessible routes help people reach work, school, shops and green spaces, while making neighbourhoods healthier, more connected and more enjoyable places to live. Major investment is needed to deliver this vision and today’s announcement of multi-year funding is an important step forward. We look forward to working with communities, partners, and local regional and national government to plan and deliver these improvements.
Together, we can make everyday journeys safer, healthier and more affordable, so everyone can choose the freedom and joy of travelling actively."
How we’re improving journeys for everyone
The funding will support improvements that help more people use the National Cycle Network safely and confidently.
Projects will work to:
Create new traffic-free sections of Network
Remove or redesign barriers
Widen and resurface paths
Enhance safety for women and girls
Ensure greater resilience to extreme weather events
Maintain and improve biodiversity along routes
Alongside infrastructure improvements, funding will also support community-led initiatives that encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle; for example, by supporting journeys to school, engaging with underrepresented communities and improving connections to local services and public transport.
Better support for a long-term vision
We recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the National Cycle Network and we're excited to see it grow in the coming years.
This investment will help us support its future and deliver our five-year strategy which includes 1,000 new and improved miles of the Network by 2030.
By investing to make everyday journeys more accessible, safer and better connected, we can help more people choose to walk, wheel and cycle.
Because we know that changing how we travel changes everything.
Our health. Our wellbeing. Our world.
Walk Wheel Cycle Trust newsletter
Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news, fundraising, events, ideas for rides and walks on the National Cycle Network, offers and updates on our work from across the UK, relevant to you.
