Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales
Today marks the publication of new guidance designed to support local authorities in Wales to promote active travel as a key tool for reducing or limiting air pollution and improving public health. This guidance is the product of close collaboration with stakeholders in Wales, to ensure it reflects real world needs and provides practical guidance for delivery.
Promoting active travel not only plays a vital part in creating healthier, more connected communities, it can also contribute to achieving our environmental goals. By encouraging more people to walk, wheel and cycle, we can move closer to achieving our air quality targets and to adhering to the World Health Organisation’s global air quality guidelines. Cleaner air and healthier environments are fundamental to our vision for a more sustainable Wales.
The guidance offers a wide range of insights and recommendations, shaped by consideration of the needs of schools, local councils, and community organisations throughout the development process. It sets out clear, practical tools to help local authorities meet their statutory duties under the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 as amended by the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024. Under this legislation, Welsh Ministers and local authorities have a duty to promote active travel as a means of reducing or limiting air pollution. This guidance clarifies what is expected of local authorities and highlights how active travel can be embedded across all areas of their work and in the everyday decisions that shape local places and services.
To support this, the guidance is complemented by Transport for Wales’ Promotional Toolkit, which provides detailed resources, case studies and topic specific advice. Together, these resources offer a comprehensive package of support for local authorities, enabling them to champion active travel in their communities.
The benefits of active travel are wide‑ranging. It improves air quality, supports better physical and mental health, contributes to climate goals and strengthens social justice by offering affordable, accessible travel options for all. By making it easier for people from diverse backgrounds to commute, reach essential services and participate fully in community life, active travel helps create fairer, more inclusive places.
The guidance also sets out practical ways to promote both existing and new active travel routes. This includes improving wayfinding, visitor information, maps and signage, enhancing links with public transport, promoting cycle storage and bike hire, and supporting active travel to schools and workplaces. It highlights incentives to walk, wheel and cycle, and outlines the resources and funding available to help local authorities deliver meaningful change.
Overall, this guidance represents a significant step forward in our collective effort to create a cleaner, healthier and more environmentally responsible Wales. By supporting local authorities to embed active travel across their work, we are laying the foundations for long‑term improvements in air quality and quality of life for communities across the nation.