West Sussex County Council has been recognised by the Department for Transport (DfT), Active Travel England (ATE) and other industry bodies for its commitment to delivering more walking and cycling.
Active Travel England, the government agency that works with local authorities to improve active travel, has awarded the county council Level 1 Capability status in recognition of the progress made over the previous year.
The council says the award has allowed it to continue building on the progress made in recent years by bidding for funding to deliver on its ambition, securing £2.35million in funding from DfT. This funding will be used to design and deliver improvements in facilities and infrastructure to enable residents to choose to walk, wheel and cycle where possible.
In further recognition of the progress the county council has made in this area, it was also awarded the Mobilityways Commute Zero Hero Award 2025 for Active Travel Champion.
Cllr Joy Dennis, WSCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: “It’s a great achievement to receive recognition from both government and industry bodies for the hard work we have put in over the past few years and it coincides with the participation rates for walking and cycling in West Sussex being consistently above the national average.
“Active Travel is much more than just an investment in new pavements, crossings and cycle paths. It’s about providing our residents with the ability to choose to walk, wheel or cycle instead of using their cars for journeys to school, work and many more destinations in line with the goals set out in the West Sussex Transport Plan.”
(Picture – Transport for the South East)
