Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage planners and local authorities to prioritise active travel when building new roads.

The Government has recently strengthened the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve consideration of cycling and walking within local development plans. The revised NPPF recommends that planning policies should provide for high quality walking and cycling networks and supporting facilities such as cycle parking, drawing on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs).

The NPPF also states that the environmental impacts of traffic and transport infrastructure should be identified, assessed and taken into account from the earliest stages of plan-making, including appropriate opportunities for avoiding and mitigating any adverse effects, which might include, for example, ensuring that new roads make adequate provision for those who cycle and walk.