Getting the Nation Walking, Wheeling and Cycling

Chair: Cara Jenkinson; Aide: Cllr Callum Robertson; Hall Aide: Chloe Hutchinson

Submitted by: 14 members 
Mover: Olly Glover MP (Spokesperson for Transport) 
Summation: To be announced

Conference notes that:

1. That enabling more people to walk, wheel and cycle short journeys eases congestion, improves local air quality and helps tackle the public health crisis driven by physical inactivity.
2. Research by Active Travel England indicating that 5.3 million more people being regularly physically active could reduce annual sick days by 4.4 million, free up 1.7 million GP appointments, help millions of households save around £1,700 yearly, prevent 2,500 premature deaths and boost the economy by £115 billion.
3. That active travel improves public health by integrating exercise into everyday routines, preventing serious conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
4. That active travel lowers stress, boosts mental well-being, reduces road congestion, and cuts emissions to clean up local air quality.
5. That the 2025 Walking and Cycling Index, produced by the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, estimates that everyday active travel prevents almost 156,000 serious long-term health conditions across the UK each year – from hip fractures to dementia and depression – saving the NHS around £1.94 billion annually.
6. That transport remains one of the largest sources of UK greenhouse gas emissions, and giving people easy, lowcarbon options for local journeys is essential to meeting the UK’s climate commitments.
7. That the potential for walking, wheeling, and cycling to assist in reducing congestion is illustrated by the fact that 59 per cent of car and van journeys are made for distances of five miles or under, according to the 2024/25 National Travel Survey.
8. That the Department for Transport estimates that for every £1 invested in active travel, the government achieves around £4.30 in benefits.
9. That despite these structural savings, active travel funding remains volatile, piecemeal and repeatedly exposed to central government budget cuts.
10. Calls from 18 public health, environmental, and walking/ wheeling/cycling organisations for 10 per cent of the transport budget to be dedicated to walking, cycling, and wheeling investment.

Conference believes that:

1. Walking, wheeling and cycling should be safe and attractive choices for short everyday journeys.
2. Investment in active travel is not merely transport policy but a preventive intervention for public health, local economies and the environment.
3. Too many new housing developments still leave residents with little practical alternative to the car for everyday journeys, and better design from the outset can change that.

Conference calls for:

1. The ring-fencing of 5 per cent of the Department for Transport’s annual budget for active travel infrastructure for walking, wheeling and cycling, with a trajectory to achieve the increase from current spending percentages to 10 per cent to be developed when finances allow.
2. A national ‘Rails to Trails’ programme to convert disused railway corridors, towpaths and redundant infrastructure into high-quality, interconnected routes for walking, wheeling and cycling.
3. A reform of the National Planning Policy Framework to require continuous, high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure in all new housing developments from the outset.
4. A requirement that new developments connect to existing active travel networks and public transport hubs, as well as town and city centres where appropriate, so that residents always have genuine, convenient options for short trips.
5. Encouragement and funding to be made available for Mayoral Development Corporations to deliver active travel networks within, and pedestrianisation of, key cultural and commercial areas in cities, such as Soho or around Covent Garden, if desired.
6. Encouragement and funding for the wider rollout of ‘School Streets’ and ‘Cycle Streets’, designing streets that feel safe for active travel to schools, and for people walking and wheeling while keeping traffic flowing smoothly at low speeds.

Applicability: England

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 10 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here or in person.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 7 September; see pages 11-12 of the agenda for more information.

Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 19 September; see page 9 of the agenda for more information.