Twelve community-led projects promoting walking, cycling and wheeling across England have secured a share of £1 million in government funding aimed at expanding access to healthier and
more sustainable travel options.
The funding, awarded through the Active Travel Innovation Fund, will support initiatives including e-cargo bike sharing schemes, gamified walking campaigns and digital accessibility tools designed to help more people travel actively in their local communities.
The successful projects — run by small businesses, charities and community organisations — will each receive grants of up to £100,000 following a competitive application process led by Active Travel England.
Launched last October, the fund was created to help small and medium-sized enterprises and non-governmental organisations test new ideas or scale up existing programmes that encourage walking, wheeling and cycling.
The government said the projects are intended to improve public health, reduce carbon emissions and make streets safer, while also widening access to active travel among under-represented groups.
Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, said the initiative would help identify practical solutions that could be replicated nationwide.
“These projects are about testing fresh ideas in the real world and finding out what works,” he said. “By backing smaller, innovative organisations across the country, we are tapping into more imaginations, reaching people in the heart of the community and building a strong evidence base that will further improve everyday journeys for people who walk, wheel and cycle.”
He added that the lessons learned would help councils and businesses invest in more inclusive and effective transport schemes.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said the funding demonstrated the government’s commitment to “bold, community-led ideas” that encourage active travel.
“These projects show how innovation and entrepreneurship can deliver healthier journeys, safer streets and real benefits for communities across the country,” she said.
The government also highlighted its wider £626 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure for local authorities through to 2030. Ministers say the funding could deliver around 500 miles of new routes and support an additional 170,000 active journeys each day.
Among the projects awarded funding is Walk Ride Greater Manchester, which plans to expand walking and bike bus schemes for primary school children.
Walking app developer Go Jauntly will launch a city-versus-city challenge in Birmingham and Liverpool aimed at encouraging more walking and wheeling among women and families.
Meanwhile, PedalUK will trial a five-bike community-led e-cargo bike sharing scheme in Brighton and Hove.
Another successful initiative, Bristol-based Mobility Mapper, will develop a digital mapping platform and app designed to help wheelchair users and other wheelers travel more safely and confidently.
General Manager at PedalUK/OurBike, Emma Hughes, said:
“This funding enables OurBike to launch and test our London e-cargo bike share scheme outside the capital in Brighton and Hove. Building on research from the University of Brighton and working with Brighton and Hove City Council and local partners, we are addressing the real barriers to e-cargo bike use by embedding bikes in communities and making everyday cycling more accessible and affordable for families and businesses carrying children, goods or equipment”.
CEO at Go Jauntly, Hana Sutch, said:
“At Go Jauntly, we believe walking and wheeling should feel accessible, safe and joyful for everyone, especially women and families who are often overlooked.
Thanks to Active Travel England funding, we are expanding our behaviour change programmes to meet people in their own neighbourhoods, making everyday movement fun, easier and more inclusive”.
Director of Walk Ride Greater Manchester, Harry Gray, said:
“We’re delighted to have received funding from Active Travel England’s Innovation Fund to deliver a Walking and Cycling Bus Pilot across Manchester and Trafford.
This funding enables us to provide a full-time project coordinator to grow and sustain walking and cycling buses at scale. Every child across Greater Manchester should have access to a safe, active travel route to school – walking and cycling buses are where that journey begins”.
Founder of Mobility Mapper, Sonya Ridden, said:
“Active Travel England innovation funding is essential in helping Mobility Mapper begin mapping the routes wheelers can actually use. By creating a wheelable network built from real journeys, we will help people plan ahead with confidence, avoid unsuitable routes, make everyday wheeling easier and safer, and make active travel more inclusive”. Photo by Gerry Lynch, Wikimedia commons.
