{
  "id": 9609614,
  "title": "'Many routes need to be improved' – British government hands active-travel charity £104 million to fix the National Cycle Network",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/many-routes-need-to-be-improved-british-government-hands-active",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T12:53:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cycling Weekly",
    "slug": "cycling-weekly",
    "url": "https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/british-government-hands-active-travel-charity-gbp104-million-to-fix-the-national-cycle-network"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The British government has allocated £104 million to the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (WWCT) for the purpose of enhancing walking and cycling routes throughout the country, with a focus on safety and accessibility. This substantial sum, although significant, may prove insufficient to bring about substantial improvements to the National Cycle Network (NCN), a network of over 12,700 miles of cycling routes. Formerly known as Sustrans, the WWCT, based in Bristol, is responsible for the development, maintenance, and enhancement of the NCN, which was initially funded with a £42.5 million National Lottery grant in 1995.\n\nThe funding, announced at the Active Travel England's 'Making Active Places' conference in Manchester by transport secretary Heidi Alexander, is part of a record investment in non-motorised travel, aimed at establishing a national active travel network by 2030. However, it is worth noting that this funding package had already been allocated for similar purposes under the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.\n\nThe allocated funds will be distributed across numerous projects, aiming to create more traffic-free routes, improve surfaces, and make crossings safer. The WWCT also plans to consolidate local active-travel plans into a single national digital platform. Among the major projects under consideration are upgrades to the English segment of the Avenue Verte, the NCN route connecting London and Paris, as well as the development of new walking, wheeling, and cycling routes taking advantage of opportunities presented by the HS2 corridor.\n\nDespite the commendable objectives, concerns have been raised about the feasibility of achieving these goals given the relatively modest funding levels. A key issue identified by the WWCT is the gender gap in cycling, with the charity's annual Walking and Cycling Index revealing that twice as many men regularly cycle compared to women, and women and girls feeling less safe while riding bikes. The WWCT is actively working to address this issue through campaigns focused on improving lighting, among other initiatives to create safer active travel networks for women and girls.",
  "summary": "The Walk Wheel Cycle Trust wants to make routes better and safer, especially for women and girls, but is the funding anywhere near enough?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}