Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional miles of (a) public footpaths, (b) bridleways, (c) restricted byways and (d) other public walkways and cycleways her Department plans to deliver by 2030.

The Government recognises that investment in high quality active travel infrastructure delivers high value for money and supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions. Encouraging more active travel helps to revitalise high streets, enable people to live longer and healthier lives and helps to reduce transport emissions and to promote greener journeys.

On 12 February, the Department announced the details of almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6, which will deliver 300 miles of brand-new footpaths and cycle tracks. Total estimated benefits of this investment are £1.3 billion, including £9 million every year to the economy through improved productivity, equivalent to 43,000 fewer sick days a year, by making it easier to walk and cycle to work and for everyday journeys.

Beyond the funding announced by the Department on 12 February, any further mileage for active travel routes, delivered up until 2030, will be dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review.

Local authorities are empowered to decide where investment is made in their areas. As such, it is for local authorities to consider whether disused railway lines in their areas would be suitable for active travel routes and to work with National Highways, in their role as custodians of the Historical Railways Estate, to assess the viability of any particular routes.