Ministers want 60% of pupils in England ‘actively’ travelling to school by 2035

Exclusive: Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, says cycling and walking plan focuses on ‘everyday travel needs’

Ministers are to launch a major push to get more children walking and cycling to school as part of a wider boost for “active travel” by the transport secretary Heidi Alexander.

In the first significant change to active travel policy since the Boris Johnson era, thousands of new safe routes and crossings will be built around schools in England, with a target of having at least 60% of all children walk, cycle or wheel to school by 2035.

The new cycling and walking investment strategy, being formally unveiled on Friday, also includes a target for at least 55% of shorter urban trips to include some active travel, also by 2035. The inclusion of specific targets follows criticism from campaigners after an initial draft of the plan failed to include any.

With a promised total active travel spend of £4.5bn over five years, the schools plan is intended to create 5,000 new routes and 10,000 crossings by 2030.

The target will, however, be difficult to reach, particularly for schools. Currently, about 45% of students use active travel. Previous targets focused on primary-aged children, who tend to live closer, whereas this covers all pupils from five to 16.

Alexander said she was determined to maintain a focus on everyday travel needs, given the distractions of major infrastructure and organisational projects such as HS2 and Great British Railways, the new state-owned rail firm.

“ There is a world in which you only talk about planes, trains, and automobiles, and I’ve been very clear that I didn’t want that to happen.”