Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to participate in Active Travel such as riding a bike to and from work.

The many ways in which the Government is supporting active travel are summarised in the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which was published in in April 2017. The Department also undertook a major cycling and walking safety review in 2018, and published its response and a detailed action plan in November 2018. Around £2 billion is now being invested in cycling and walking over this Parliament. To encourage people to cycle to work, the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The Department is reviewing and updating its guidance on the scheme and is due to publish a revised version later in 2019.