Worth Every Step

Worth Every Step: new active travel plan aims to make local journeys easier for everyone

The Government has published a new four-year active travel strategy, setting out how it plans to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer, more accessible and more attractive across England.

The strategy, Worth Every Step, has been produced by Active Travel England and will guide investment and policy from 2026 to 2030. While much of the discussion around active travel often focuses on cycling, the document places significant emphasis on improving everyday journeys for people who walk or use wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other mobility aids.

Why it matters for disabled and older people

For many disabled people and older adults, a journey of a few hundred metres can be the difference between independence and isolation. Poor pavement surfaces, blocked footways, missing dropped kerbs and inaccessible routes can make even simple trips difficult or impossible.

The new strategy recognises that active travel is not only about exercise. It is also about enabling people to reach shops, healthcare services, public transport, friends and community activities safely and independently.

Active Travel England says every journey made on foot, by wheelchair or by bicycle delivers benefits for individuals, communities and the wider economy. The organisation wants active travel to become a practical option for more people, regardless of age or ability.

Improving local infrastructure

One of the key themes of the strategy is improving the quality of local infrastructure.

This includes creating routes that are safer, better connected and easier to use. For many Independent Living readers, improvements such as smoother pavements, better crossings, accessible public spaces and safer links to public transport may be more significant than new cycle lanes.

The Government also wants to strengthen links between active travel routes and rail stations, making it easier for people to combine walking or wheeling with public transport journeys.

Tackling inactivity and isolation

The strategy highlights the health benefits of helping people incorporate movement into everyday life.

For older people, short regular walks or wheelchair journeys can help maintain mobility, confidence and social connections. For carers, safe local routes can make it easier to accompany relatives to appointments, shops and community activities.

Active Travel England argues that creating environments where people feel confident travelling locally can reduce social isolation while supporting physical and mental wellbeing.

Accessibility must remain central

While many disability organisations support the principle of active travel, they have also highlighted the importance of ensuring schemes are designed inclusively.

Research has shown that uneven pavements, poor-quality surfaces and inaccessible street layouts can create barriers for people with mobility impairments and visual impairments. Successful active travel schemes need to consider the needs of wheelchair users, people who use walking aids, and those with sensory impairments from the outset.

For Independent Living readers, the real test of the new strategy will be whether it results in practical improvements that make everyday journeys easier and safer.

RNIB welcomes the delivery plan

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) welcomes the Government’s launch of the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy alongside Active Travel England’s Worth Every Step delivery plan.

The pledge of £4.5 million investment in new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer road crossings will be of huge benefit to blind and partially sighted people, for whom getting to and from shops, schools, places of work, and bus and train stations, can be a huge challenge.

Erik Matthies, RNIB’s Policy Lead for Inclusive Journeys, said:

“RNIB regularly hears from blind and partially sighted people who tell us how anxious and vulnerable they feel when they’re out and about as pedestrians. Sometimes the anxiety can stop people from going out at all.

“It’s vital for people with sight loss like me that walking routes are kept free of pavement clutter and obstacles, road crossings have clear markings and signage, and cycle ways are planned with pedestrians in mind.

“We’ll now be urging the Government, Active Travel England, and regional authorities to make sure that these changes are developed and implemented with the full involvement of blind and partially sighted people, so our needs and experiences are fully understood.”

Looking ahead

The Government’s ambition is to increase the number of journeys made by walking, wheeling and cycling over the next four years, while improving the quality and accessibility of local routes. If delivered successfully, the programme could help many older and disabled people remain active, connected and independent for longer.

You can read the full active travel plan here (external link will open in a new browser tab or window)
 

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Further reading and resources

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