West Midlands Mayor's pledge to improve school run safety and create more cycling and walking routes

Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, has pledged to deliver more miles of cycling, wheeling and walking routes and improve safety on the school run.

The Mayor is among 12 regional mayors to commit to working with the Department for Transport on the creation of a new national walking, wheeling and cycling network and promote more happy, healthy and green journeys.

They also pledged to improve safety on the school run for millions of children through popular schemes such as school streets, traffic calming, new pedestrian crossings and improved pathways and pavements.

It is all part of plans to boost active travel, the collective name for cycling, wheeling and walking, by improving safety and creating new routes to give more people the choice to leave their car at home for shorter journeys.

The 12 Mayors were joined by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, National Active Travel Commissioner and former Olympic gold medal cyclist Chris Boardman to sign the pledge ahead of a two-day summit in York. 

Mayor Richard Parker said: “We are making it easier and safer for people, especially families on the school run, to choose cycling and walking for their shorter daily journeys. It’s healthy, great for the environment and good fun and if more people choose active travel we can reduce traffic congestion on our streets.

“That’s why I’m joining my fellow Mayors in this pledge and, working with our councils, will be doing more to deliver additional cycle routes and safer streets around our schools.”

A few weeks ago the Mayor was joined by West Midlands Active Travel Commissioner Beccy Marston and West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner Mat MacDonald at the Oval School in Yardley to see a successful school streets scheme in action. Birmingham City Council, using funds raised from its Clean Air Zone, closes roads surrounding the school at the start and end of the school day to allow children to walk or cycle in safety.

West Midlands Active Travel Commissioner, Beccy Marston, who is attending the summit, said: “With some of the highest levels of health inequalities in our region it’s never been more important to make this commitment to boost our safe routes around schools and their wider communities. If we create safer, healthier and more connected communities everybody wins.” 

The summit also comes as Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) continues to work with councils on the expansion of the region’s active travel networks – developing new cycle lanes. These include the extension of the A38 blue route in Brimingham, and new pedestrian crossings, such as at the Burnt Tree Island in Dudley.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is also working with councils on updating the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) setting out where the future investment in active travel will go.

Many of these projects will be eligible to draw from the £2.4 billion Transport for City Regions funding awarded to the WMCA in the recent Spending Review, as well as funding from Active Travel England.

Joining Mayor Parker in the pledge are Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire’s Oliver Coppard, York and North Yorkshire’s David Skaith, the North East’s Kim McGuinness, and the East Midlands’ Mayor Claire Ward.

Collectively, the Mayors have committed to delivering a national network of 3,500 miles of safe routes connecting housing to schools and targeting areas where health and air quality are poorest. This will help residents to become more physically active, supporting the Government’s Plan for Change by easing pressure on the NHS.

National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said: “Our regional leaders have today marked the start of an exciting chapter, by pledging to give people across the country more transport choice.

“We know that more walking, wheeling and cycling will improve our country’s mental and physical health, but it will do much more; it’s the foundation for thriving integrated public transport networks, it increases access to work, boosting local economic growth and it will give millions of children more independence.

“People will only consider travelling actively if it is easy and safe. That’s what the Mayors have today pledged to do and that's why Government is backing them. It’s going to have a hugely positive impact on millions of people’s daily lives.”  

The Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, said:  "I know I am one of many who enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that come with walking or cycling to work or school.

"That's why this Government is investing £616m over the next four years, on top of £300m announced in February, to give more people around the country high quality and healthy ways to get around, and supporting Mayors' plans to create a joined up network.

"It is a key part of our Plan for Change, boosting local businesses, growing local economies and easing pressure on the NHS."

As part of the agreement the Mayors have committed to: 

• Work with the Department for Transport, Active Travel England and local authorities to create a country-wide national walking, wheeling and cycling network, comprising of local networks that are safe and easy to use. This will give their residents access to high quality, safe routes in their communities.  

 

• Transform the school run by delivering high-quality, safer routes in neighbourhoods nationwide.  

 

• Boost regional integrated transport networks by giving people easy walking, wheeling and cycling access to buses, trams and trains which will link to new housing and support local economic growth. 

The initiative comes as recent research shows one in six early deaths could be prevented with regular moderate exercise. Meanwhile, a study from 2023/24 found that, in England, 35.8% of year 6 children were overweight or living with obesity, with 22.1% living with obesity. 

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty added: ”Increasing physical activity has health benefits across the life course. As part of this, we need to make walking and cycling more accessible, and safer, as well as access to green space easier and more equitable. This will help remove barriers to improving physical activity levels and could significantly improve the health of England's increasingly urban population.”

The first wave of improving active travel routes to schools will include the delivery of proven and popular schemes, including school streets, traffic calming measures, new crossings and well-maintained pavements.

Regional mayors will lead local roll out, selecting measures that best fit their communities' needs and developing projects to encourage active travel.