Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

A plan to boost travel and help create a better connected citywide route network

We've developed our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

It identifies improvements to make walking, wheeling and cycling around the city easier, safer and more appealing for everyone in Stoke-on-Trent - with the overall aim to boost active travel.

The plan recognises that investment in walking and cycling gives people alternative ways of getting around, especially for short journeys, enabling more people to have greater choice while boosting both physical and mental health.

And it will be used to guide future investment, fund bids to Government and other organisations, and help with the design of transport and development schemes to support active travel.

It also identifies key routes and priorities to make active travel safer, more convenient and accessible for everyone – and how to make it easier for people to walk to their nearest bus stop to continue their journey on public transport.

The plan incorporates feedback from stakeholders - including local communities, schools and businesses - as well as responses from a public consultation undertaken about priority routes and other issues, such as safety and access.

The consultation, which took place in August and September 2025, highlighted:

  • Strong support for safer, better-connected walking and cycling routes across the city.
  • A clear call for consistent, continuous cycle routes that don’t “just stop”.
  • A desire to see greater promotion of walking and cycling, not just infrastructure delivery.
  • The need for active travel to be inclusive and accessible to all users.

The consultation also loked at a series of route changes:

Cycle routes (maps can be found in the plan document):

  • Trentham to Stoke
  • Royal Stoke University Hospital to Longton (via Stoke)
  • Stoke to Birches Head
  • Joiner's Square/University of Staffs to Wolstanton 
  • Hanley to Burslem (via Middleport)

Walking route improvements:

  • Trent and Mersey Canal Towpath 
  • University of Staffordshire to Town Centre 
  • City Road, Church Street and Hartshill Road 
  • Penkhull to Civic Centre
  • Boothen to Church Street

Click here to read the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan