Our vision for the Integrated Transport Strategy: repair, renewal and rebalance
Living Streets has answered the UK Government’s call for ideas for the new Integrated Transport Strategy, which sets the high-level direction for how transport should be designed, built and operated in England over the next 10 years.
Zak Viney, our Public Affairs and Campaigns Coordinator, explains why this is an invaluable opportunity to rebalance our transport system, and take important steps to shape communities where walking and wheeling are prioritised.
In what seems like a case of déjà vu, the UK Government is calling for ideas to put into its new Integrated Transport Strategy 25-years after a preceding Labour Government unveiled a similar vision. Published in 2000, the £180bn “10-year Transport Plan” boasted expectations of a new era of light rail, road pricing and better buses services; with targets to increase public transport uptake by 50%, building 25 new rapid transit lines and introducing congestion charging schemes and workplace parking levies widespread across our cities. I was just four years old at the time.
Now in 2025, the Department for Transport’s 'call for ideas’ aims to put people who use transport and their needs at its heart and empower local leaders to deliver integrated transport solutions that meet the needs of their communities.
Ahead of its closing date on 20 February, Living Streets has submitted a response, calling for a strategy which delivers a clear vision, focussed on repair and renewal, and rebalancing our transport priorities.
“Walking will always do the heavy lifting. It is the majority of active journeys...the most beneficial in getting somebody from nothing to something” – England’s Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman MBE
Why walking?
Living Streets echoes the words of England’s Active Travel Commissioner. An integrated transport system should recognise every journey begins and ends with a walk, when the average walking journey is 0.8 miles. It’s important that our streets are designed and maintained in a state where these journeys are enabled, and not a barrier. Walking is the binding agent which connects our transport system, whether that's a walk a bus, tram, plane or train.
When walking is prioritised, we create better places to live, work and be and support community cohesion. Walking for transport is also one of the cheapest ways to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges and supports the Government’s missions for economic growth, accelerating to net zero and to create an NHS ‘fit for the future’.
That’s why we’re asking the Government to consider our ideas to help us create a nation where walking is the natural choice for local, everyday journeys; through a repaired, renewed and rebalanced transport system.
Repair, renewal and rebalance
We support the proposal for an Integrated Transport Strategy as a basis for meeting wider economic, social and environmental outcomes, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and as a means of delivering better value for money. In our view:
A joined-up transport network is one that enables people to walk or wheel from one mode of transport to another, affordably, confidently and conveniently through every stage of their journey. This is supported by appropriate infrastructure in well planned places.
We included the following points in our submission (you can read the full account by clicking the link below).
- Data can be used to improve the transport network, for example, by setting appropriate targets, measuring progress and to identify where to prioritise spending, such as Vision Zero – to achieve zero preventable road deaths. While information technology, such as the concept of 'Mobility As A Service', has a lot of promise – travel information should be publicly accessible to everyone without having to use a smartphone.
- The use of trenchless technology is long overdue – to put utilities under our streets without the constant need to keep digging up our pavements and the carriageway. This would improve the long-term maintenance of our road transport network.
- Investment in the transport network should be assessed against its contribution to the vision set by the Integrated transport Strategy and wider public policy goals, such as those related to health, economy and inequality. This requires roads spending to be re-balanced towards better infrastructure and services which promote uptake of walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
- An Integrated Transport Strategy requires a clear vision of what it seeks to achieve (e.g., greater choice and traffic reduction), together with measurable targets and funding at a time when costs are rising. This requires rebalancing how funds are distributed: towards active and sustainable modes of transport; repairing and renewing existing infrastructure; equitable transport costs and creating a safe transport system.
Raise your voice
You can respond to the Integrated Transport Strategy 'call for ideas” as an individual or by representing the views of an organisation.
You can submit your response via the UK Government website until 11.59pm on Thursday 20 February, of which we invite you to embed ideas from Living Streets submission, which can be viewed in full, here. Feel free to use our points above to shape your submission, but we encourage you to make your response personal to you.
It’s important that people from all walks of life are represented in this consultation, and that walking is at the heart of future plans. At Living Streets, we’re privileged to advocate for healthier, cleaner communities – but we are now experiencing a financial emergency, which threatens our capacity to campaign on these issues.
