Places for Everyone

The Places for Everyone (PfE) programme was launched in 2019, and responded to a sharp increase in Active Travel funding at the time. PfE was open to LAs, public bodies, businesses, third sector organisations and community organisations, and provides funding and expertise to help deliver walking, wheeling, and cycling improvements across the country. Managed by WWCT and funded by Transport Scotland, the programme provided 100% funding for concept and design stages and up to 70% funding for construction stages through a grant.

Applications were assessed against the aims and objectives of the programme:

“…Places for Everyone aims to create safer, more attractive, healthier, and inclusive places which are enjoyed equitably by increasing and diversifying the number of trips made by walking, wheeling for everyday journeys.

Places for Everyone projects aimed to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• Increase the number of everyday journeys made by walking, wheeling, or cycling.
• Support more trips to school made by walking, wheeling, or cycling.
• Improve physical and perceived safety for people walking, wheeling, or cycling.
• Make walking, wheeling, or cycling more inclusive for the project community, taking into account all protected characteristics.
• Improve the quality of current walking, wheeling, or cycling infrastructure.
• Positively impact areas identified by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) as among the 20% most deprived” (from WWCT Places for Everyone Application Guide 2023)

While this report focusses solely on infrastructure, PfE also delivered a range of non-infrastructure schemes and projects such as behaviour change interventions to support projects being developed and delivered. As part of the transition towards the new tiered delivery model for Active Travel infrastructure, the PfE programme was wound down in December 2025, with eligible projects transitioning to delivery through ATIF Tier 2.

Table 4: PfE Infrastructure and Delivery Summary for 2023–24 and 2024–25

Case Study: Roseburn to Union Canal Active Travel Route and Greenspace Improvements

On 9th December 2024, the Roseburn to Union Canal project officially opened. This project has been led by PfE through design and construction to connect communities in Edinburgh which were previously segregated by the Haymarket railway lines and busy Western Approach Road.

This £17m project, of which £11.6 million was funded by PfE, provides a new green corridor for walking, wheeling and cycling and significantly enhances public safety and access to greenspace. An uninterrupted segregated cycle lane and footway now exists. Two new bridges were also installed: one over the railway line (pictured) and one over Dalry Road featuring a community-inspired mural/ Dalry Community Park was also upgraded.

These fully-accessible routes will support vulnerable and less confident users to take journeys by active travel. PfE are also pleased these link to existing routes such as the Roseburn Path, City Centre West East Link (CCWEL) and NCN Routes 1 & 75.

The Roseburn to Union Canal Active Travel Route and Greenspace Improvements was the winner in the “Exemplary Approaches to Active Travel & Public Space” category at the National Transport Awards.