Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013

The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 is a Welsh law designed to make walking, cycling and wheeling easier, safer and more convenient for everyday journeys. The Act requires councils to plan and improve active travel routes across Wales, helping create cleaner air, healthier communities and more sustainable travel choices for everyone. [legislation.gov.uk]

In Cardiff, the Act underpins much of our work to deliver high‑quality walking and cycling routes, improve connections across the city, and support our wider ambitions to reduce congestion and carbon emissions. Transport currently accounts for around 17% of Wales’ emissions, so making short trips by foot or bike is an important step toward a greener future. [cardiff.mo…ngov.co.uk]

What the Act Requires

Under the Active Travel Act, every local authority must:

• Map existing walking and cycling routes to show what is already available. [legislation.gov.uk]
• Develop long‑term network plans that set out future improvements and new connections. [legislation.gov.uk]
• Continuously upgrade active travel infrastructure, ensuring new routes are safe, comfortable and accessible. [legislation.gov.uk]
• Promote active travel through education, engagement and better design standards. [legislation.gov.uk]

The map of existing existing walking and cycling routes and plans for future routes is called the Active Travel Network Map and is published on DataMapWales.

To support this work, Welsh Government provides detailed Active Travel Design Guidance, outlining best practice for walking and cycling networks, including route layout, safety features and facilities like cycle parking. [gov.wales]

What This Means for Cardiff

Cardiff Council strongly supports the goals of the Act and continues to develop an ambitious vision to make active travel the easiest choice for short trips across the city. This includes delivering new segregated cycleways, safer pedestrian crossing points, and school initiatives that encourage healthy, sustainable travel habits. [1. Objecti…Travel Act]

These improvements are also central to our wider plans, including the city’s transport vision and our One Planet Cardiff commitment to becoming a carbon‑neutral city by 2030. Making it easier to walk and cycle helps reduce congestion, supports cleaner air and creates more vibrant neighbourhoods. [cardiff.mo…ngov.co.uk]

Active Travel in Action

Each year, Cardiff expands and improves its active travel network. Recent examples include:

• New and upgraded cycle routes such as Cycleway 1.2, Cycleway 2 and Cycleway 4.
• School programmes, including cycle training, scooter sessions and child pedestrian safety lessons.
• Local improvements such as upgraded crossings, safer junctions and better walking links. [cardiff.gov.uk]

These actions help make active travel accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

Find Out More

• Read the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 on Legislation.gov.uk. [legislation.gov.uk]
• View Cardiff Council’s Active Travel reports and network maps for the latest updates. [cardiff.gov.uk]
• Explore the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Act Design Guidance. [gov.wales]