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The third CWIS (Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Report to Parliament) is in, albeit later than planned. Originally due to be published in early 2025 it was pushed back thanks to the 2024 General Election timing and subsequent Spending Review. Was it worth the wait? The pundits will be absorbing the details, but the headline aim is to make walking, wheeling and cycling a safe, easy and accessible option for everyone and that by 2035, 55% of all short stages in towns and cities will be walked or cycled.<\/p>\n
Noting the previous government\u2019s \u00a3200 million cut from the active travel budget, CWIS3 said it was aiming for a long-term strategic plan to make active travel choices an everyday reality. \u00a34.5 billion investment will \u201cempower local authorities across England to embed active travel into their local transport systems, so the benefits can be felt by everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n
Safe coherent networks around schools and investment in building regional capability are planned too, providing local authorities with skills, leadership and delivery confidence to turn ambitions into actual infrastructure. Also pretty ambitious is the aim to map safe routes and make them accessible on route planning apps, with consistent signage and road markings across England, to be delivered within this CWIS period (2025\/6 to 2029\/30).<\/p>\n
The plan also pointed out the DfT can \u201csometimes be slow to support local authority innovation\u201d and a new \u00a310 million Streets Innovation Fund will support trials of innovative measures intended to encourage active travel and improve road safety.<\/p>\n
In the foreword to the report, the Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP Secretary of State for Transport and Lilian Greenwood MP Minister for Local Transport, said: \u201cOur aim is that by the end of this CWIS period, we will have laid the groundwork for a more strategic approach to active travel investment, with innovation supported and encouraged, good progress on walking, wheeling and cycling to school, a consistent national network to frame future investment decisions, and local authorities that are empowered to expand the network to meet our 2035 targets.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did CWIS2 do? <\/strong><\/p>\n CIN will dig more into CWIS3 in due course, but there\u2019s also the matter of how CWIS2 performed. The objectives set out in 2021 included to double cycling from 0.8 billion \u2018stages\u2019 in 2013 to 1.6 billion stakes in 2025. It fell short, reaching 1.0 billion cycle stages made by England\u2019s residents in 2024. The report noted: \u201cIn 2024, total cycling stages had increased by 15% since 2013 (around 0.1 billion cycling stages). Since 2014, total cycling stages have been consistently higher than 2013 levels, but trends have fluctuated each year. Further increases of 0.6 billion cycling stages are required to achieve the aim of 1.6 billion cycling stages by 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2024, total cycling stages had increased by 15% since 2013 (around 0.1 billion cycling stages). Since 2014, total cycling stages have been consistently higher than 2013 levels, but trends have fluctuated each year. Further increases of 0.6 billion cycling stages are required to achieve the aim of 1.6 billion cycling stages by 2025.<\/p>\n Demographics: More cycling by under 17s and over 40s; notable decreases for 17-40 year olds<\/strong><\/p>\n There is some interesting demographic detail included, appearing to suggest that cycling has grown for the 0-16 year olds and \u2013 at the other end of the scale \u2013 in the 40-69 year old bracket. Conversely, the 17-39 all saw declines in cycling (that decline easing with the higher ages). Does that tally with the people walking into your bike shop and buying your cycle gear? The report stated: \u201cThose aged 17 to 20 had the largest decrease in average cycling stages (42%), whereas children under 17 and people aged 40 and over were cycling more. People aged 60 to 69 had the largest percentage increase in average cycling stages (61%) between 2013 and 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n There were significant gains among ethnic minorities in cycling levels (and also among the white demographic, so stand down Musk, Farage, et al): \u201cEthnic minority backgrounds saw the number of average cycling stages increase by 57% from 2013 to 2024. People from white backgrounds saw an increase of 8% in average cycling stages between 2013 to 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, average stages increased 6% in cycling between 2013 and 2024.<\/p>\n CWIS refresher<\/strong><\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t keeping abreast of parliamentary reports and schedules (and why should you), the CWIS reports are all due to the Infrastructure Act 2015<\/a>\u00a0which states that the Secretary of State for Transport must, from time to time, lay before Parliament a report on the progress towards meeting the objectives of the\u00a0cycling and walking investment strategy.<\/p>\n This is the third report to Parliament on the progress made towards achieving the vision and objectives set out in the\u00a0CWIS2\u00a0strategy (April 2021 to March 2025)<\/a>. It builds on the\u00a0second report to Parliament<\/a>, which was published in July 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n