• 43% of urban journeys under 5 miles are walked or cycled  
• 68% of residents want more direct walking and wheeling routes from housing to bus stops 
• 70% want pavements free from parked cars  
• 88% of women feel unsafe walking alone after dark. 

The Urban Transport Group (UTG) has today published a new report highlighting the crucial role of walking, wheeling and cycling in creating genuinely integrated transport networks. 

The report, From Doorstep to Destination: Enabling joined-up journeys, highlights how every public transport journey starts and ends with a local trip. Whether travelling by bus, tram or train, people need to be able to walk, wheel or cycle from their home to a stop or station to reach their destination. 

Walking and cycling account for 1 in 3 of all journeys, increasing to almost half of journeys under 5 miles in towns and cities. But the report finds that many everyday routes remain unattractive, inconvenient or may feel unsafe because active travel has historically been under-prioritised in terms of funding, policy focus and street space. 

The report comes as the Government aims to increase active travel, with the third cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS3) setting a target for more than half (55%) of all short journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2035.  

UTG’s report sets out practical recommendations to improve local transport connectivity, including: 

• Enabling wider use of low-cost non-prescribed zebra crossings to accelerate the roll-out of safer pedestrian crossings with much lower installation costs. 
• Supporting local authorities to reduce pavement parking using new enforcement powers introduced under the Devolution Act 2026.
• Embedding best practice in street design through an updated Manual for streets.
• Broaden highways maintenance funding to include footpaths and cycle infrastructure as well as roads. 
• Improving real and perceived safety across local transport networks through the Road safety strategy.
• Providing better safety measures including well-maintained pavements, safer road crossings and more crossing points. 
• Using long-term revenue funding to help local authorities unlock greater value from capital investment and deliver integrated networks. 
• More cycle parking at train stations and safer station access to encourage more sustainable end-to-end journeys.  
• Building new developments that are integrated with public transport by putting more focus on active travel in the planning process. 

Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said: 

“If we want truly integrated public transport, we need to focus on the whole trip, from doorstep to destination. When people cannot safely or easily walk, wheel or cycle to a stop or station, public transport becomes less accessible and less attractive. 

“Our report shows how small, practical steps can improve local connectivity, making sustainable travel a more realistic choice for more people and helping to create a better connected transport network.”