Today (Tuesday, 6 October), councillors at the Highways and Transport Committee agreed funding to progress the delivery of 16 active travel schemes across Cambridgeshire.
More than £14M of capital funding has been allocated to Cambridgeshire County Council for active travel schemes over the next four years by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) from the UK Government’s Local Transport Consolidated Settlement (LTCS) Fund.
Schemes approved by councillors to receive this funding included:
· Alconbury Weald to Huntingdon Railway Station – part of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), the next phases of this scheme will widen the existing shared-use path from Great Stukeley to Alconbury Weald, linking to Huntingdon Station via Stukeley Meadows, to promote a higher percentage of short journeys from Alconbury Weald. Completion is expected by July 2028.
· A505 Granta Park – Construction of a new shared-use path alongside the A505 slip road to create a link between the existing shared-use path on the A505 and Granta Science and Technology Park, encouraging people to travel actively to this major employment site. Completion anticipated by March 2028.
· Cromwell Road, Wisbech – Construction of a new footpath designed to address the current lack of a pedestrian link between the residential area, the business park and the retail area on Cromwell Road, Wisbech. Completion targeted for March 2028.
· Ely to Soham – Supported by East Cambridgeshire District Council and the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust, this new active travel route will link to the National Cycle Network and the proposed Soham to Wicken Greenway. Construction is expected to be completed by March 2030.
· School Streets – £80,000 was allocated per annum for School Streets across Cambridgeshire, primarily to deliver signing and lining, together with improvements to walking, wheeling and cycling access, that encourage families to choose active travel on the school run.
Councillors separately agreed to reallocate £890k of active travel funding, previously allocated to an active travel route between Whittlesford and Duxford, towards a new crossing at the A14 Histon interchange.
This new scheme will address the lack of a safe crossing for students travelling between Cambridge and Histon, particularly those attending Impington Village College. This reallocation of previously approved funds is subject to further approval from Active Travel England (ATE) and the CPCA.
Additionally, councillors approved proposals for £2.776 million of LTCS revenue funding to be spent over the current financial year and the two following years, with the majority allocated to behaviour change initiatives to encourage active travel across the county. Examples of supported initiatives include Bikeability courses for schools, adaptive cycle training, community cargo-share hubs and schemes to support women & girls’ safety.
The council’s ongoing commit to delivering and maintaining active travel schemes aims to improve safety for people walking, wheeling and cycling; support health, wellbeing and local economic activity; increase participation in active travel, particularly among under-represented groups; and provide robust evidence for future investment decisions.
The Active Travel Programme is closely aligned with the council’s vision of a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire – increasing rates of active travel across the county will enable safer and more reliable travel, promote active living – reducing health inequalities, and help to cut carbon emissions.
Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the Highways and Transport Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Active travel remains one of our top priorities, so I’m delighted we’re approved a programme today, supported by fresh funding from Active Travel England, which will benefit diverse communities across Cambridgeshire over the next four years and beyond.
“Whether schemes are linking homes, schools, employment centres, leisure venues or travel hubs – when active travel is a reliable option for local journeys it leads to safer streets, less isolated and more interactive communities, cleaner air and better health.”
Cambridgeshire County Council has an Active Travel Centre of Excellence, with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area awarded level ‘three’ out of four for our approach to active travel by Active Travel England – the joint highest rating in the country.
In the summer of 2026, Cambridgeshire’s achievements in this area were further endorsed when Cambridge hosted the National Active Travel Conference.
The committee papers considered at today’s meeting can be found on our website and it was live streamed on our YouTube channel.
