Leipzig, Germany — 21 May 2025
At the 2025 ITF Summit in Leipzig, the Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) is proud to unveil its newly updated Active Travel Policy Template: A ‘How To’ Guide, calling on national governments to take bold, coordinated action to prioritise walking and cycling across transport, health, and climate policies.
PATH is urging governments to:
- Adopt the full 20-action framework;
- Embed active mobility in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs);
- Invest in walking and cycling as central, not supplementary, transport strategies.
A Vision for Systemic Change
PATH’s new policy template offers a practical and adaptable framework for national governments to embed active mobility into policy, infrastructure, and investment planning. The template sets out a clear ambition: to ensure everyone can walk and cycle safely, easily, and enjoyably—thereby helping to mitigate climate change, reduce pollution, support public transport, and foster healthier, more inclusive communities.
The policy framework is structured around:
- Five Goals: Promoting activity, safety and security, accessibility, comfort and satisfaction;
- Five Objectives: Increasing time spent walking and cycling, improving safety, enhancing access to destinations, upgrading infrastructure, and raising user satisfaction;
- 20 Actions: Organised across the domains of people, places, and processes, covering everything from infrastructure and regulation to public engagement and governance;
- Measurable Outcomes: Aligned with multiple SDGs including health, sustainable cities, and climate action.
“This template is another powerful addition to the PATH collection of knowledge products — offering not only clear, practical guidance for governments, but compelling case studies that illustrate the impact of good policy initiatives,” said Sheila Watson, Deputy Director of the FIA Foundation. “We are proud to be the co-creators and financial supporters of PATH, a coalition working to raise the global profile of walking and cycling as essential to climate action, health and truly sustainable mobility.”
Real-World Impact / Learning from Global Practice
Incorporating a wide range of innovative yet practical examples from 20 countries—including Colombia’s Ciclovía program, Australia’s Transport on Prescription initiative, Ethiopia’s NMT strategy, and Canada’s Active Transportation Fund—the template and case studies both show the way forward and illustrate how countries are already delivering impact through effective policy actions.
“We’re excited to be launching this updated template and guidance at the ITF Summit, where we can engage with transport stakeholders from the 69 ITF member countries,” said Bronwen Thornton, CEO of Walk21. “We hope they draw inspiration from the case study examples and use the framework to commit to effective walking and cycling policies at the national level. We’re ready to support them every step of the way.”
“We’ve been pleased with the positive response and engagement generated by the first version of the template published in time for COP28 in Dubai in 2023,” said Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation. “We hope even more governments and other stakeholders become aware of this framework and apply it in ways that enable more people to walk and cycle safely around the world, to meet climate goals and improve people’s health and lives.” She added: “PATH’s partners will also be present at ITF, hosting an engaging session as a side event titled Walking and cycling: An ACTIVE PATH towards more resilient transport.”
Supported by a global coalition of over 500 organisations — including PATH coordinating partners FIA Foundation, Walk21, the European Cyclists’ Federation, and UNEP.
Notes to editors
About PATH
The Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) is a global coalition uniting civil society, government, and international institutions to elevate walking and cycling as fundamental components of sustainable development and climate action.
This initiative is made possible through the support of the FIA Foundation, which funds PATH’s coordination and advocacy work.
More Information
To access the full Active Travel Policy Template and explore country case studies, visit: https://pathforwalkingcycling.com
Media Contact:
Daniel Lissoni (Communications Manager, European Cyclists’ Federation)
d.lissoni@ecf.com
Read more at www.pathforwalkingcycling.com
PATH partners include:
