Bulletin - November 2025 - Active Travel Transformation

Purpose

This bulletin provides Local Authorities (LAs), Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs), National Park Authorities (NPAs), and national delivery partners with updates on progress across infrastructure and behaviour change programmes, details of budget allocations for 2025–26 since our June Bulletin and key news.

News

Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) Tier 2 Design and Construction Applications for 2026-27:

Transport Scotland opened the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) Tier 2 for 2026-27 design and construction applications on Monday 24 November 2025 closing on Friday 9 January 2026. It is open to Local Authorities, National Park Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships. If you are not one of these statutory bodies you should liaise with your relevant authority to submit applications on your behalf where it aligns with their wider priorities.

The statutory bodies have been advised directly on the 2026-27 application process, Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions.

New Capacity and Capability Survey and Assessment

Similar to 2022, the Capacity and Capability survey and assessment will be undertaken and is expected to commence this month. The survey will include 1-2-1 discussions to evaluate current capacity and capability. In addition, the assessment will invite partner organisations such as Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities to complete a self-assessment of their capacity, track record of delivery, leadership and preparedness to deliver active travel improvements in their area.

The high-level self-assessment will form a core element of a blended approach, supported by evidence of previous performance held by Transport Scotland. This evidence will include an assessment of recent active travel project applications, behaviour change initiatives, reporting and delivery by each organisation.

This process will help determine the level that best describes the status and ambition of each organisation. It will also enable targeted funding and support for the delivery of both active travel infrastructure and associated behaviour change initiatives.

Signing on quiet rural routes

Following consultation with the SCOTS Active Travel Working Group, Transport Scotland will publish a position statement on the consistent signing of rural quiet routes on 1 December: Traffic signs and road markings | Other Transport Scotland guidance and advice | Transport Scotland

These signs convey a “Share space” message – and are intended for use on rural routes where roads authorities expect that pedestrians, cycle users, equestrians and drivers will share the carriageway space, and therefore are encouraged to act accordingly. The signs, which include gateway and repeater variations, require non-prescribed authorisation, in accordance with the established procedure set out on Transport Scotland’s website at: Traffic signs and road markings | Non-prescribed traffic signs | Transport Scotland

Compulsory purchase reform in Scotland: consultation

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on compulsory purchase reform in Scotland. This aims to support the delivery of development, infrastructure, and regeneration projects that are in the public interest. The consultation represents a step towards establishing a fairer, faster, and simpler compulsory purchase system for Scotland.

It went live on 19 September and will close on 19 December. Following consideration of the responses, the next step would be to introduce a bill in the next parliamentary session—subject to government priorities and the availability of resources.

Climate Change Plan

On 6 November, the Scottish Government published its draft Climate Change Plan (CCP). This draft sets out the policies and proposals that will enable Scotland to meet its carbon budgets for 2026–2040. It is a vital step toward achieving net zero by 2045, while creating significant opportunities for economic growth and supporting emissions reduction targets in Scotland and across the United Kingdom. 

The Plan includes new outcomes that underline the important role sustainable and active travel have to play in Scotland’s efforts to tackling climate change, including:

 ‘To support modal shift through more sustainable forms of travel, including incentivising public transport use and supporting more people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys’.

A public consultation is now open and will run until 29 January 2026. The final CCP is expected to be published ahead of the pre-election period, which begins on 26 March 2026.

Road Safety Framework

Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 – Annual Progress Report 2024/25 & Delivery Plan 2025/26, published in August, reaffirms Scotland’s commitment to Vision Zero—eliminating serious injuries and fatalities on the roads by 2050. While road deaths rose by approximately 9% in 2024 (to 160 fatalities), overall casualty figures improved, with slight injuries down 7% and serious injuries down 1%. Notably, the report includes a dedicated Active and Sustainable Travel section, focussing on embedding active travel into broader road safety planning through safer infrastructure, and the People and Place programme delivering comprehensive behaviour change initiatives.

Cycling Scotland data continues to show growth in urban areas

In October, Cycling Scotland published traffic survey data showing continued and significant growth in the number of people travelling by bike in Scotland especially in cities with new protected infrastructure. In Glasgow’s South City Way, more than 2,000 bike journeys were recorded daily—overtaking car journeys during one rush hour period - and routes like Byres Road and Clyde Street saw over 1,000 cycle trips daily. Edinburgh’s City Centre West-East Link, West Coates section, recorded 1,375 daily cycle journeys - nearly double the number from May 2024 - making up 8.2% of all journeys. Additionally, Stirling saw over 400 daily bike trips on newly installed protected routes, with similar uplifts on key streets in Perth and Aberdeen. These figures underscore the positive effect of investment in safe, ‑well connected‑ cycling infrastructure.

2025-26 Funding update

The Scottish Government confirmed a budget of £188.7 million for Sustainable and Active Travel in 2025–26. All budget allocations (unless contractually or statutorily committed) are subject to internal approval processes, prior to funding being allocated and spent. All programmes have received committed funding, despite significant pressures on the Scottish capital and resource budgets.

The committed allocations for the 2025/26 sustainable and active travel programme are:

Active Travel Infrastructure Fund

For 2025/26 the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund Tier 1 allocation is £37.5m. Tier 1 allocations have been issued directly to all 32 Scottish Local Authorities through their annual Capital grant. This allows for great flexibility and autonomy on how Local Authorities choose to invest to increase Active Travel provision in their area.

In May 2025, the Scottish Government announced more than £26 million in funding for ATIF Tier 2 construction-ready projects as part of the 2024–25 bid process, funding of £13.7 million has been allocated for Places for Everyone transition commitments, and in October an additional £12.9 million funding was approved for ATIF Tier 2 construction-ready projects as part of the 2025-26 bid process. 

Transport Scotland is now directly funding the design/pre-construction stages of Active Travel projects (RIBA Stages 0–4), with £11 million committed in 2025–26 to support delivery partners across Scotland. It supports the ambitions set out in Active Travel, Local and Regional Transport Strategies and ensures continuity in project pipelines.

Transport Scotland have engaged with all Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships that have submitted applications following the approvals. For enquiries related to this funding, please contact ATIF@transport.gov.scot and a member of the team will get in touch with you

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) Programmes

Three programmes are being delivered through the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust: Places for Everyone, the Infrastructure Development Support, alongside support for the National Cycle Network. Together, these initiatives represent over £17 million of investment in active travel infrastructure.

Across the National Cycle Network, we’re tracking more than 160 projects, with 50 live investments scheduled for 2025/26, ranging from design concepts to projects nearing delivery.

Recent highlights include the completion of pre-construction monitoring on NCN Route 753 Lunderston Bay, delivered in partnership with Inverclyde Council. The results are impressive with daily usage having increased by 57%, pedestrian activity up 44% and cycling up by more than 250%. Many of these new users are now accessing local amenities via the network.

The legacy programme, Places for Everyone, which concludes this year, received national recognition at the Scottish Civil Engineering Awards. Projects in Hawick and Inverness were celebrated, with Hawick winning both Project of the Year and the Resilience Award.

In September 2025, colleagues from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust presented at the Cycling and Society Annual Symposium in Glasgow, joining academics and industry leaders to share insights. Research from Places for Everyone revealed that median daily cycle counts were 24% higher on PfE project sites compared to control sites, clear evidence that active travel infrastructure is driving real change.

Walking Scotland (formerly Paths for All) - Iain Findlay Path Fund

Established in 2022 in memory of Ian Findlay CBE, former Chief Officer, the Ian Findlay Paths fund has entered its fourth and final year with £1.8m funding. Over this period nearly 100 community interventions to improve local path networks, make walking, wheeling, and active travel easier and more accessible have been supported.

Cycling Scotland - Bikeability

Bikeability stats for the 2024-25 academic year were released on 11 September. More than 53,000 children took part in Bikeability training and a record 14 local authorities now deliver Level 2 training in every primary school in their area. Transport Scotland has invested £2 million in Bikeability Scotland training this year. More information can be found here: Half a million young people all set to travel by bike after Bikeability Scotland cycle training | Cycling Scotland

People and Place

Transport Scotland, in collaboration with our RTP colleagues held a networking and knowledge exchange event in Dundee on 9 September. The event brought together RTP and Local Authority officers to discuss progress to date on the People and Place programme and look ahead to Year 3 and beyond. A wide range of topics were discussed including monitoring and evaluation, communications and funding. We were grateful to colleagues for their participation and openness to discussion. We plan to hold further such events starting with a third sector focussed event in Spring/Summer 2026.

To conclude the first year of the People and Place programme, each of the RTPs submitted their evaluation reports, covering the projects delivered across the four themes of the programme (Active Schools & Young People; Workplaces; Accessibility & Inclusion, and; Capacity & Capability Building). These reports have been very valuable in supporting the compilation of the People and Place Year 1 assessment report, which will be published in the coming months.

Engagements

On 10 September, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop delivered the Ministerial address at the Cycling Scotland Conference in Dundee. The theme of the conference was “Investment in everyday cycling delivers results”. The Cabinet Secretary used the occasion to highlight the impressive statistics recorded by Cycling Scotland at recently completed infrastructure such as on the Edinburgh City Centre West-East Link, the milestones achieved in Bikeability participation, and a message that cross-sector working was vital to maximise impact in the sector.

Active Travel Network

On the 26 August, Cabinet Secretary for Transport visited Hawick to mark the opening of a transformative Active Travel Network, delivered as part of the town’s Flood Protection Scheme. The project introduced over 7km of widened shared-use paths, accessible ramps, and new strategic footbridges, significantly improving connectivity across the town. Four narrow crossings were replaced with new 4m wide bridges, enabling walking, wheeling and cycling in both directions. These upgrades have made active travel safer and more direct. £12.6 million was funded by Transport Scotland through Places for Everyone. The Hawick Flood Protection Scheme was recently honoured with Scotland’s top civil engineering award, winning both the Project of the Year and Resilience Award at the Scottish Civil Engineering Awards.

Glasgow City Council Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Phase 1

On 29 October, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop visited the site of Phase 1 of the Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove (Yorkhill North) project to mark the commencement of construction works. The visit highlighted the £1.46 million awarded through Transport Scotland’s ATIF Tier 2 construction-ready projects, supporting the delivery of 1.2 km of transformative active travel infrastructure. Ms Hyslop met with Councillor Angus Millar, representatives from the University of Glasgow Sustainability Team, and Glasgow City Council officials to hear more about the project’s role in enhancing connectivity across the city. In the coming months, the area will benefit from significant public realm improvements, including upgraded footways, additional pedestrian crossings, dropped kerbs, tactile paving, and step-free access to support inclusivity. These enhancements will be complemented by new seating, improved lighting, vibrant wayfinding artwork, and refreshed signage to revitalise key junctions and improve navigation.