Active Travel Strategy – School Information
The future of walking, wheeling, and cycling in West Sussex
West Sussex County Council is working to deliver improved active travel facilities. By encouraging more walking, cycling and wheeling, particularly for shorter journeys, we can help to reduce congestion on our already busy road network. We’ll also help improve air quality and create safer, more pleasant places to live, work and do business.
We are seeking feedback on two important documents related to the way that we travel:
Our draft Active Travel Strategy, which sets out our vision and goals for active travel in the county for the next decade and beyond.
Our draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which identifies the key long distance corridors where WSCC wants to invest in active travel.
Getting children involved
To make it easier for children to take part in the consultation, we have developed three short school packs – aimed at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 – that can be used to introduce some of the key ideas set out in the draft strategy and plan. We want to understand how children experience walking and cycling where they live and what barriers they might face. We would also like the opinion of children on some of the broad goals and actions within the Active Travel Strategy and LCWIP.
We recommend taking the class through the relevant school pack before starting the survey. There are talking notes provided for each slide. The presentations should not take longer than 15 minutes and can be downloaded from the 'School packs' section of this page.
To collect children’s feedback we have created:
• A survey aimed at children in Key Stages 1 and 2 – intended to be teacher-led, with the teacher recording the aggregated class response (please note that questions 8-10 are intended for Years 5 and 6 only)
• A survey aimed at children in Key Stage 3 – to be completed independently by the children while in class either online or on paper. (Representatives of the school can also complete the survey to enter the prize draw to win £500 to spend on active travel initiatives.)
The survey should not take more than 10 minutes. Where possible, please complete the survey online, however, we have included Word documents of the survey on this page that you can print and complete. Printed surveys should be scanned and returned to activetravel@westsussex.gov.uk.
All schools who submit a response will be entered into a prize draw to win £500 to spend on active travel initiatives. The closing date for responses is Friday 1st December at 11:55pm. Terms and Conditions for the prize draw can be found in the Survey Downloads section of this page, on the bar to the right.
Below we have provided an overview of the Draft Active Travel Strategy and LCWIP. You can find the full consultation materials at https://yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk/active-travel-strategy (opens in new window)
Draft West Sussex Active Travel Strategy 2023-2036 - overview
Our Active Travel Strategy sets out our vision and goals for active travel in the county for the next decade and beyond. Our vision for active travel – which includes walking, cycling and wheeling – is:
"Our transport network will be characterised by high-quality active travel infrastructure, focused on connecting people with places and activities via safe, direct, attractive, and coherent routes. People across the county will be informed and aware of their options for walking and cycling locally. Active travel will be increasingly commonplace for everyday journeys, delivering greater economic prosperity, improved quality of life for all those who live and work within the county, and supporting our pathway to net zero carbon".
To achieve this vision, the following supporting objectives will guide our work:
Support the decarbonisation of our transport network
Reduce the need to travel by motorised vehicle
Boost physical and mental health and wellbeing through access to active travel routes across the county
Support future economic prosperity and vibrant local communities
Our Active Travel Strategy directly supports the policy objectives of the West Sussex Transport Plan (2022-2036). It has been developed in light of changes in the way we travel, including:
Changes to commuting patterns following the COVID-19 pandemic
Government policy (including the publication of ‘Gear Change’, the latest cycling design guidance LTN 1/20 and the creation of the Active Travel Fund)
An increase in use of e-scooters and e-bikes.
Throughout the strategy, safety and behaviour change are emphasised as crucial factors in promoting active travel. By creating safe and well-maintained pavements, bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings, individuals feel more secure and confident in walking, cycling or wheeling more often. Behaviour change also plays a crucial role in shifting attitudes and habits towards active modes of transport. By enhancing public awareness and leading education campaigns, we aim to highlight the benefits of walking and cycling, both for personal wellbeing and the environment.
Draft West Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) - overview
The Draft West Sussex LCWIP is a companion document to our Active Travel Strategy, with a related vision and objectives to improve active travel in the county.
LCWIPs are a new, strategic approach to identify cycling and walking improvements required at a local level. They enable a long-term approach to developing networks and routes and form a vital part of the Government’s strategy to increase the number of trips made by cycle or on foot.
LCWIPs are intended to:
Plan for cycling and walking using evidence and data on existing and future potential demand
Target investment where it can have the greatest impact
Identify cycling and walking infrastructure improvements in readiness for funding bids and
Plan cycling and walking networks which meet core design outcomes, meeting the need of users.
The Draft West Sussex LCWIP looks in detail at six new longer-distance active travel corridors that would connect West Sussex communities together. Our district and borough councils are also developing their own LCWIPs, which cover routes within towns – typically focused on radial routes and key corridors serving town centres, employment and transport hubs, and planned development locations.
The routes contained within the West Sussex LCWIP and the district and borough LCWIPs will help determine our future priorities for active travel and which schemes are included in future delivery programmes. By aligning and coordinating our efforts at county and local levels, the aim is to provide a safe, convenient and sustainable network for getting around, whether for leisure, commuting, or other purposes.
The six routes that we have identified as being high priority for development and funding are:
A264 Crawley to Horsham
A259 Emsworth to Chichester - part of existing National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 2
Selsey to Chichester Greenway
A259 Bognor Regis to Chichester
A24 Findon Valley to Washington
Littlehampton to Worthing
These routes were carefully selected, taking into consideration a range of criteria, including where people start and finish their journeys. The routes were then assessed to understand if they are, or could be made, suitable for cycling, walking and wheeling. The LCWIP contains more details on this process and explores the key opportunities for each of the six routes, along with cost estimates.
Alternative formats
If you require any of the information for this project in an alternative format, please contact us on 01243 642105 or via email at activetravel@westsussex.gov.uk(External link) and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 (01243 642105).
For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.
