The Department for Transport has unveiled its latest tranche of active travel funding with £200m up for grabs for English councils.
Active Travel England has contacted councils directly inviting them to apply for cash by late February. The winners are due to be announced later this year.
The DfT said this investment would have a particular focus on boosting the number of kids walking or cycling to school.
Currently, less than half of children aged 5 to 16 walk or cycle to school, according to the department. The Government aims 'to enable 55% of all primary school children to walk to school by 2025'.
The DfT suggested successful schemes could include safer routes to school or safety improvements at junctions, as well as building more paths in rural areas.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: 'This £200m investment for hundreds of upgraded routes and paths across the country will help to reduce emissions, boost local economies and create jobs.
'These new schemes will make it safer for children to walk to school and will better connect rural communities, helping more people choose active travel as an affordable and healthy way to get around.'
There is also an investment focus on supporting people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters through inclusive design, the DfT said, and another on women's safety.
Studies show that one in two women feel unsafe walking after dark on a quiet street near their home. Local authorities 'will also need to show that their proposed schemes take women’s safety into account'.
This latest tranche of cash is Active Travel Fund 4, with the Government having invested over £600m into active travel since 2020 – further investment is expected this financial year, according to an Active Travel England spokeswoman.
Previous funding rounds saw a new cycle lane built in Coventry which generated 10,000 trips in its first month and a new segregated walking and cycling route in Manchester.
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