Reallocation of road space for active travel
In May 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government published statutory guidance for highway authorities regarding the need to reallocate road space towards pedestrians and cyclists. The government recognised this period, when vehicular traffic volumes were significantly reduced, as a unique opportunity to deliver a lasting transformative change in how we make short journeys in our towns and cities.
To help deliver these changes, the government has provided funding through several tranches of the Active Travel Fund (ATF):
- ATF Tranche 1, allocated in June 2020, provided funding for temporary/pop-up changes to road layouts;
- ATF Tranche 2, allocated in November 2020, provided funding to extend and make permanent the temporary changes to road layouts;
- ATF Tranche 3, allocated in March 2022, provided funding for further improvements to walking and cycling routes, building on the changes made through ATF Tranches 1 and 2; and
- ATF Tranche 4, to be allocated in March 2023, will provide further funding for walking, wheeling and cycling schemes.
The funding is awarded by Active Travel England, the government’s executive agency responsible for ‘making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around in England’.
Why are the changes being made?
As outlined in the Department for Transport’s Gear Change vision, increasing active travel (walking, cycling and wheeling) levels can deliver a range of benefits:
- Improved physical wellbeing, reducing rates of inactivity-related illness;
- Improved mental wellbeing, reducing rates of depression;
- More efficient use of road space, reducing congestion;
- Increased footfall for local businesses;
- Improved air quality;
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, helping tackle climate change.
Therefore, schemes have been developed to encourage greater use of active travel. They have been devised to embed and build upon the positive behavioural changes observed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when walking and cycling rates increased in many areas.
What is Devon County Council doing?
To prioritise the areas of greatest demand a high-level analysis of journeys to work was undertaken. A list of the top 10 settlements with the highest workday populations has been produced and is shown in the table below.
| Rank | Built-up area | Local Authority | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exeter | Exeter | 115,625 |
| 2 | Barnstaple BUA | North Devon | 28,911 |
| 3 | Newton Abbot BUA | Teignbridge | 25,750 |
| 4 | Bideford BUA | Torridge | 18,939 |
| 5 | Exmouth BUA | East Devon | 18,694 |
| 6 | Tiverton BUA | Mid Devon | 13,568 |
| 7 | Teignmouth BUA | Teignbridge | 9,865 |
| 8 | Tavistock BUA | West Devon | 8,841 |
| 9 | Sidmouth BUA | East Devon | 8,411 |
| 10 | Totnes BUA | South Hams | 7,770 |
Table: Devon settlements with highest workday populations (Census 2011).
The measures have therefore been focussed on the regional centres of Exeter, Newton Abbot and Barnstaple/Bideford, where there is the greatest economic activity. Many of the interventions have been developed from the existing programme of active travel enhancements, as laid out in our Cycling and Multi-Use Trail Strategy.
It is recognised that public transport also continues to have an important role in tackling climate change. Therefore, schemes have been devised to avoid adversely impacting key bus corridors. Furthermore, where possible measures have complemented bus routes; for example, the Wonford Road, Exeter bus gate has reduced vehicular traffic on Stagecoach’s H route.
-
Tranche 1 (June 2020)
Tranche 1 of the fund was allocated in June 2020 with Devon County Council receiving 100% of their indicative £338k allocation. This funding was used to introduce temporary, pop-up walking and cycling measures across the county.
The funding allocations requested for Tranche 1, based on advice from the Department for Transport (DfT) to focus on the main urban areas with greatest public transport usage were estimated at:
- Exeter: £150k
- Sub-regional Centres (Newton Abbot, Barnstaple/Bideford): £150k
- Rest of County: £40k
More information can be found via the following links:
Implemented measures, along with others across the country, can also be viewed via the Sustrans Space to Move Map which also invites public feedback to be recorded.
-
Tranche 2 (November 2020)
In July 2020 the DfT released further guidance on Tranche 2 of the ATF issuing an invitation for bids to be submitted in August 2020. The objectives of Tranche 2 were as follows:
- Implement measures to create an environment which is safer for both walking and cycling
- Replace public transport journeys with cycling
- Avoid public transport overcrowding
- Deliver health, environmental and congestion benefits
Devon County Council submitted a bid comprising a range of interventions, including making some ATF Tranche 1 measures permanent. The Council was subsequently awarded £1,283,450, of which 80% was capital funding and 20% was revenue funding.
More information on the guidance and schemes implemented can be found via the below links:
-
Tranche 3 (March 2022)
In June 2021, the DfT invited bids for capital funding under Tranche 3 of the ATF, to be submitted in August 2021. Bidding authorities were instructed to propose schemes which:
- Have a high propensity to convert short vehicle journeys into cycling and walking, resulting in carbon, air quality and congestion benefits;
- Could tackle areas with poor health outcomes and with high levels of deprivation;
- Have a high number of potential benefactors;
- Comply with the Cycling Design Standards, as set out in Local Transport Note LTN 1/20;
- Have been prioritised through Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans or similar local strategies;
- Will be developed in consultation with local communities;
- Are supported by local authority leaders.
Devon County Council was subsequently awarded £1,350,000 of funding for four schemes. More information on these schemes can be found via the below link:
-
Tranche 4 (March 2023)
In January 2023, Active Travel England invited bids for capital funding under Tranche 4 of the ATF, to be submitted in February 2023. Tranche 4 is designed to:
- Create a local authority capital investment programme that optimises delivery of 2025 and 2030 objectives, as set out in the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 2):
- 50% of short urban trips in England to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030;
- Increase active travel from 41% in 2018 to 46% of short urban trips by 2025;
- Increase walking to 365 stages per person per year by 2025;
- Increase cycling from 0.8 billion stages in 2013 to 1.6 billion stages in 2025;
- 55% of primary school-aged children to walk to school by 2025;
- Align investment with Gear Change and wider Government objectives, including local growth and productivity, tackling public health issues, decarbonisation, levelling up and cost of living challenges; and
- Increase participation in active travel amongst underrepresented groups.
ATF Tranche 4 funding is to be split into two streams:
- Construction funding, for schemes which are ready for delivery within the 2023/24 financial year; and
- Development funding, for schemes which are at an earlier stage
Devon County Council submitted a bid for £4.9m of ATF Tranche 4 funding, split between 19 schemes. Active Travel England is expected to announce final ATF Tranche 4 funding allocations before the end of March 2023.
- Create a local authority capital investment programme that optimises delivery of 2025 and 2030 objectives, as set out in the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 2):
More information on other active travel schemes can be found at: Transport planning – Roads and transport (devon.gov.uk).
For any queries regarding the Active Travel Fund please email: transportplanning@devon.gov.uk