We’ve often referred to Active Travel England (ATE), so I thought it would be useful to look at what they do and what they are responsible for.
ATE was set up in 2020 as part of the Department for Transport and is specifically responsible for encouraging more people to walk, wheel or cycle. The organisation is led by Chris Boardman, the first Active Travel Commissioner for England.
ATE have up until now mainly been responsible for managing the distribution of the government’s Active Travel Fund allocation to local authorities. The current financial settlement is £168.5m spread across 76 English local authorities, with the biggest allocations going to the mayoral regions. Reading has received £632,000 for 2025/26, Wokingham £649,935 and West Berkshire £328,675.
ATE have also provided £30m funding to Sustrans (now Walk Wheel Cycle Trust) to deliver improvements to the National Cycle Network.
ATE are developing other roles – they are now a statutory consultee on major planning applications. They are also looking to improve standards through the development of design guidance notes, review and audit of schemes funded through the Active Travel Fund, as well as grading highway authorities based on their performance on active travel.
Finally, ATE is collaborating with 12 regional mayors to create a national active travel network for walking, wheeling and cycling. This initiative, launched in Autumn 2025, includes plans for 3,500 miles of safer routes to schools, shops, and public transport hubs, with a focus on areas with poor health and air quality.
The mayors will lead local implementation tailored to their communities, supported by ATE and the Department for Transport.
It’s unclear how this would apply to areas, such as Reading, which don’t have a regional mayor, or how this would link to or complement the existing National Cycle Network.
Tony Carr
RBC Campaigner for RCC
