Children and Young People's Inquiry on Transport and Travel: Launch and call for evidence

When it comes to transport policy and practice, children and young people are often overlooked. They are not routinely asked about what they want or need from their environments, despite being best placed to inform solutions.

At our Children and Young People’s Summit last year, children and young people told us they feel left out of conversations about how they travel and their local neighbourhoods, even though they are the ones most affected.

Involving children and young people in the decisions that affect them, doesn’t just improve outcomes for young people; it helps create better places for everyone. Moreover, when young people help shape the spaces they use, it creates a stronger sense of belonging and agency.

We want to give children and young people a voice to allow them to become active participants in the decisions that seek to improve transport, streets and neighbourhoods.

This is why we’re launching the Children and Young People’s Inquiry, to build an evidence base and offer children and young people an opportunity to share their lived experience. The inquiry will include new evidence from children and young people, as well as parents and carers and we will be holding events across the UK, so that they can share their thoughts and experiences directly with decision makers.

Alongside this launch Children and Young People’s Inquiry, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust is publishing a report and video our recent Children and Young People’s Summit held last year. The Summit was generously supported by Halfords.

Call for evidence: Terms of Reference

The Children and Young People’s Inquiry aims to support healthier, safer, and more independent journeys for children and young people across the UK.

It seeks to achieve this by:

• Giving children a voice in walking, wheeling and cycling policy and practice in their own area and with national government

• Developing child-led recommendations through evidence and storytelling to give every child the freedom to walk, wheel, cycle and travel

• Securing sustained political commitment to walking, wheeling and cycling and encouraging shared ambition, mutual learning and collaboration.

We would welcome written submissions that address any of the following questions:

Representation of children and young people in policy and practice

• Examples of structures or projects that have enabled children and young people to genuinely participate in the design of policy and practice.

• Initiatives and ambitions to make places child-friendly, for example Child Friendly Leeds.

• How do we ensure representation is inclusive and all children no matter who they are or where they live, are given a voice?

Walking, wheeling and cycling for children and young people to school and work

• What can increase walking, wheeling and cycling to primary school, especially independently for older year groups?

• What can increase independent trips to and from secondary school, including walking, wheeling and cycling, as well as public transport?

• What can increase trips to and from further education or work for young people?

Child-friendly neighbourhoods and beyond

• What makes a neighbourhood child-friendly, including transport, independence?

• What examples exist of retrofitting a neighbourhood or designing a new one through a new development, where children have been a core part of the engagement and design process?

• How can we improve transport for children and young people beyond their local neighbourhood and how can we integrate walking and cycling networks such as the National Cycle Network alongside public transport, to do this?

Addressing gender differences

• What steps can address girls’ safety when walking or wheeling?

• How can gender differences be overcome when cycling, including cycle design, retail experience, culture and social norms, addressing perceptions of safety and cycle parking?

We particularly encourage submissions that include case studies of schemes or policy that have led to positive outcomes, as well as stories from children that demonstrate impact on their lives.

We will be taking a life stage approach to the inquiry focusing on:

• Children (early years – primary aged 0-10): mainly dependent on parents and carers to take trips.

• Young people (Secondary aged 11-15): Independence grows and trips become longer – signalling a greater need for cycling and public transport.

• Young adults (16-24): transition to adulthood – dependent on public and shared transport.

We will also look at the role and implications for parents and carers across these stages.

Closing date

Please send all submissions to Anthea.Trainor@walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk

The closing date for all submissions will be the 31 August 2026.

Confidentiality and publication

We may publish submitted evidence unless a submitter requests anonymity or confidentiality. Please let us know if you would not like your submission to be published.

Final decisions on what is published are for Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.

All submitted evidence will be referenced and accredited.