Increasing walking and cycling

1. Increasing walking and cycling A briefing for Local Authority Elected Members

2. Key messages: • More walking and cycling reduces congestion • More walking and cycling is good for business • Walking and cycling achieve transport, health, and environmental objectives • Walking and cycling are safe • Walking and cycling measures are popular

3. More walking and cycling reduces congestion • Congestion is a major transport problem • 87% of people think congestion is a ‘serious problem for the country’(ONS, 2007) • Congestion costs £10bn per year in urban areas (Sustrans 2013) • Many short car journeys could be made by bike or walking • 64% of all trips are made by car (DfT 2010a) • 20% of trips under one mile are made by car (DfT 2010) • There is untapped demand: • 50% of children want to walk to school • Over 75% of children own a bike (DfT 2010c) • Fewer cars on the roads also mean fewer parking problems and fewer cars circulating, hunting for spaces

4. More walking and cycling is good for business • Pedestrians and Cyclists revitalize town centres • A high proportion of retail expenditure comes from local residents and workers • Space for bike parking can produce higher retail spend than car parking • Car shoppers are often ‘drive-through’ • Walkable designs enhance the quality of town centres (Tolley 2011) • Regular walkers and cyclists are fitter and less likely to be absent from work • Investing in walking environments can support local economies by increasing footfall, improving accessibility and attracting new business and events (Living Streets 2012) • Investment in the walking environment is likely to be of equal or better value for money than other transport projects (Living Streets 2012) • Cycling and walking bring significant tourism income especially to rural areas (Manton & Clifford, 2011)

5. Walking and cycling achieve transport, environmental and health objectives • Reduces congestion • Improves local air quality • Reduces CO2 emissions • Improves road safety • Improves public health • Increases social interaction • Improves the public realm • Improves quality of life Benefits across the authority: ‘one council’ approach

6. Walking and cycling are safe • Safety is improving • In 2006, the fatality rate for pedestrians was 54% lower than the 1980 level • for pedal cyclists it was 46% lower (DfT 2008) • The real risks are low • Perceived risks may be high but the real risks are low: on average one death per 33 million km cycled (CE 2007) • More cycling and walking increases safety • Evidence of ‘safety in numbers’ (Jacobsen 2003, Robinson 2005) • Potential conflicts can be reduced • Eg car/cyclist conflicts addressed through infrastructure design; cyclist/pedestrian conflicts addressed through bylaws • The benefits outweigh the risks • Multiple studies show physical activity benefits outweigh the risks by at least 10 to one (see next slide)

7. Ideas for action • Become the champion for walking and cycling; lead by example • Encourage car drivers to walk or bike for short journeys • Increase the focus on active travel in your local transport plan • Help link the public health and transport agendas • Apply planning policy on new developments to encourage sustainable transport • Encourage staff to use the WHO HEAT tool. WHO provide free online training

8. Example • Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester were designated ‘Sustainable Travel Towns’ from 2004 to 2009, aiming to reduce car use • Car driver trips by residents fell by 9% per person, and car driver distance by 5%-7% (compared to a fall of about 1% in medium-sized urban areas over the same period) • Walking and cycling increased in all three towns • The value of the reduced congestion alone (using Dept for Transport’s measures) outweighed the costs by 4.5:1 • More comprehensive evaluation (including health and social benefits) would produce even higher benefit:cost ratios

9. Example: • Across a town of 150,000 people, if everyone walked an extra 10 minutes a day, the HEAT model estimates: • 31 lives saved • Current value of £30m per year

11. References • Cycling Embassy of Great Britain. 2012. Dutch Cycle Infrastructure. http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/dutch-cycle-infrastructure • Cycling England 2007. Cycling and Health: what’s the evidence? http://www.ecf.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Cycling-and-health-Whats-the-evidence.pdf • De Hartog et al. 2011. Travel-time air pollution exposure, energy expenditure and health outcomes: use of new technologies. Epidemiology. 22:1 ppS76-S77 • Department for Transport. Road Casualties in Great Britain - Main Results 2007. London: Transport Statistics, 2008. • DfT 2007. Manual for Streets. London. Dept for Transport https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/manual-for-streets • DfT 2010 (b). Cycling Demonstration Towns. Development of Cost benefit ratios. • DfT 2010 (c). National Travel Survey. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts06-age-gender-and-modal-breakdown • DfT 2010a. How People Travel. National Travel Survey 2010. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8934/nts2010-03.pdf • Hansard 2007. Daily Hansard Written Answers. 29 March 2007. Column 169tW. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070329/text/70329w0010.htm • Jacobsen, P. (2003). Safety in numbers: more walkers and bicyclists, safer walking and bicycling, Injury Prevention, 9, pp.205-209 • Living Streets. Making the Case for investment in the walking environment. 2012 • Manton R, Clifford E. (2011) Cycling Ireland to work . http://www.etcproceedings.org/paper/cycling-ireland-to-work-sustainable-job-creation-in-the-tourism-sector-through • NICE 2008 Physical activity and the environment. http://publications.nice.org.uk/physical-activity-and-the-environment-ph8 • NICE 2012 Walking and cycling local government briefing - http://publications.nice.org.uk/walking-and-cycling-phb8 and the walking and cycling pathway http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/walking-and-cycling • NICE 2012. Walking and cycling guidance. http://publications.nice.org.uk/walking-and-cycling-local-measures-to-promote-walking-and-cycling-as-forms-of-travel-or-recreation-ph41 • NICE 2012. walking and cycling pathway http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/walking-and-cycling • Ogilvie D, Foster CE, Rothnie H, Cavill N, Hamilton V, Fitzsimons CF, et al. Interventions to promote walking: systematic review. BMJ 2007;334(7605):1204 • ONS 2007. ONS Omnibus Survey (Oct/Nov 2007) cited in DfT (2008) Public Attitudes To Congestion and Road Pricing. London. Dept for Transport • Rabl A, de Nazelle A. Benefits of shift from car to active transport. Transport Policy. 19 (2012) 121-131. • Robinson DL. 2005. Safety in Numbers in Australia. Health Promot J Austr. 2005 Apr;16(1):47-51. • Rojas-Rueda D, de Nazelle A, Tainio M, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. The health risks and benefits of cycling in urban environments compared with car use: health impact assessment study. BMJ. 2011 Aug 4;343:d4521. • Sustrans 2013. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/resources/in-the-news/investment-in-smarter-travel-means-better-health-for-all • Sustrans 2013. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/resources/in-the-news/sweet-16-but-sustrans-has-no-intention-of-leaving-school • Tolley 2011. Good for business. The benefits of making streets more walking and cycling friendly. Heart Foundation. 2011. • WHO 2010. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. The Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking and cycling. www.heatwalkingcycling.org • Woodcock J, Banister D, Edwards P, Prentice AM, Roberts I. Energy and Health 3; Energy and Transport. The Lancet. 2007 Sep 22; 370(9592): 1078-88 • Yang L, Sahlqvist S, McMinn A, Griffin SJ, Ogilvie D. Interventions to promote cycling: systematic review. BMJ 2010;341:c5293. Further Reading • Cycling and Health. What’s the evidence? Cycling England 2007. http://www.ecf.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Cycling-and-health-Whats-the-evidence.pdf • CfIT Sustainable Transport Choices and the Retail Sector (2006) http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110304132839/http://cfit.independent.gov.uk/pubs/2006/stc/technical/pdf/stc-technical01.pdf • Take Action on Active Travel. Why a shift from car-dominated policy would benefit public health. Sustrans. 2010 • Living Streets. Making the Case for investment in the walking environment. 2012 • Other excellent information and help is available from organisations such as British Cycling, CTC, Living Streets, Ramblers, Sustrans, and others.

12. Acknowledgements • The slide sets were researched and written by Dr Nick Cavill, an independent public health consultant • Drafting was overseen by an ‘Active Travel and Health group’, which was a sub-group of the Cycling Forum. Members were: • Beelin Baxter, Department of Health • Tony Armstrong, Living Streets • Simon Barnett, Living Streets • Jackie Brennan, British Cycling • Hugo Crombie, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence • Phillp Darnton, Bicycle Association • Adrian Davis, Independent consultant • Des de Moor, Ramblers • Stephanie Dunkley, Leicester City NHS • Julia Ellis, Association of Directors of Public Health • Roger Geffen, CTC • Alison Hill, South East Public Health Observatory • Phillipa Hunt, Living Streets • Philip Insall, Sustrans • Patrick Lavery, Department for Transport • Carlton Reid, BikeBiz • Lynn Sloman, Transport for Quality of Life • Paul Stonebrook, Department of Health • Shane Snow, Department for Transport •  This presentation is part of a set of three, aimed at different target audiences in local authorities: • Directors of Public Health • Directors of Transport • Elected members • Two alternate versions of the presentation are available • Without logos, for you to customise • Without photos, on plain backgrounds • Contact nick@cavill.net for details. Draft 01 May 2013