Active Travel
Resources
Policy futures for urban transport
The latest edition of Policy futures for urban transport emphasises how a new deal on funding and powers is essential to keep the UK's cities moving forward.
The report sets out the 10 key policy changes that are needed to make cities healthier, fairer and more prosperous.
These include further devolution of rail services; greater funding for buses; reform of taxi and Private Hire Vehicle legislation; an ambitious strategy to encourage more cycling and walking; a long term investment plan for urban rail services; and a visionary national policy framework on air quality.
Active Travel: Solutions for changing cities
Over the last decade promoting active travel has moved from the fringes of urban transport policy to a much more central role in the planning of cities and their transport networks. This is because the promotion of active travel, and the creation of places and streetscapes where people want to walk and cycle, is such a good fit with where cities that are going places want to be.
In this report we take a detailed look at how active travel schemes can transform cities for the better – from Bristol to Inverness and from post-industrial Northern cities to the heart of the City of London.
Number crunch: Transport trends in the city regions
Our report, Number crunch: Transport trends in the city regions, identifies some of the most defining patterns of the past decade (and projected future trends) that are changing the face of the UK’s city regions, and the way that people travel within them.
Ageing urban populations, rapid bus passenger decline and huge growth in private hire vehicles are just some of the dramatic shifts taking place in UK cities.
The report draws on data from our unique, free and interactive online tool ‘Data Hub’, which allows users to generate bespoke analysis, graphics and charts of transport, economic and population data.
Policy Futures
Policy futures for urban transport sets out how, with more focused governance in place, the city regions are delivering major investment programmes including on public transport, highways and active travel, and smart ticketing. The report says that - with the right national policy framework - further and faster progress can be made, including:
- ensuring that the benefits of transformative technological change are maximised including new ways of paying for access to transport, connected and autonomous vehicles and data;
- that barriers between different sectors are broken down so that the benefits that transport can bring to achieving wider policy goals - in areas like health, employment and education - are fully realised.
Urban Congestion
The Case for Active Travel
This report sets out the fivefold economic benefits of greater investment in active travel: saving costs to the health sector; the economic value of active travel trips; the economic benefits of an improved urban realm; promoting inclusive growth; and direct employment and spend.
The report also sets out a concise and accessible summary of the wider evidence base for investing in active travel which urban transport planners and practitioners can use as a basis for building the case for policies and projects.
Policy Futures for Urban Transport - our vision and roadmap
This report sets out our vision for how future UK urban transport policy could unfold in a way that enables the nation’s urban areas to deliver smart and sustainable growth that has far-reaching benefits. It looks at the great strides our city regions have already made and proposes fifteen ways in which national government and transport authorities can work together to create the transport networks urban areas need in order to fully realise their potential.
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Consultation
Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change
This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond.
The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends:
- Changes in demographics and lifestyles and the rise of the sharing economy alter mobility choices
- Urbanisation, climate change and the need to improve air quality put pressure on transport systems
- Advances in technology and increased digital connectivity make transport infrastructure smarter and more efficient
- More powers are devolved to cities and city regions which results in more innovation and leadership in responding to urban challenges in locally appropriate ways
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Policy Futures for Urban Transport - our vision and roadmap
This report sets out our vision for how future UK urban transport policy could unfold in a way that enables the nation’s urban areas to deliver smart and sustainable growth that has far-reaching benefits. It looks at the great strides our city regions have already made and proposes fifteen ways in which national government and transport authorities can work together to create the transport networks urban areas need in order to fully realise their potential.
Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change
This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond.
The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends:
- Changes in demographics and lifestyles and the rise of the sharing economy alter mobility choices
- Urbanisation, climate change and the need to improve air quality put pressure on transport systems
- Advances in technology and increased digital connectivity make transport infrastructure smarter and more efficient
- More powers are devolved to cities and city regions which results in more innovation and leadership in responding to urban challenges in locally appropriate ways
A Healthy Relationship: Public health and transport collaboration in local government
This report sets out the findings of a survey of all Directors of Public Health (DsPH) in England. The survey investigated the extent of collaboration between public health and transport teams within local government since public health teams moved into top-tier local authorities in April 2013. As well as analysis of survey results, the report includes a series of case studies exploring examples of good practice in more detail. The majority of DsPH responding to the survey said that there had been an improvement in the extent of their team’s collaboration with transport planning colleagues since the move to local government. Most placed a medium to high priority to on the health impacts of road transport in their work programme; had had the opportunity to engage with the development of local transport plans; and had participated in jointly funded projects and data sharing with transport colleagues. DsPH identified a number of barriers to further joint working, but there were also numerous examples of good practice. The research was conducted for pteg by public health and transport specialist, Dr Adrian Davis.
Delivering the future: New approaches to urban freight
This report highlights the essential role of urban freight in ensuring the effective functioning of the UK economy and presents a fresh vision designed to safeguard this role as well as protect the environment and quality of life for communities. It envisages that every opportunity should be taken for freight to make its way to urban areas by rail or water, either directly into those areas, or into the major distribution parks that serve them. It argues that those distribution sites should be located so that it is practical for goods to travel the last mile(s) into urban centres using zero/low emission modes. These last mile journeys should be achieved as safely, unobtrusively and with as little environmental impact as possible. The report explores a number of ideas that could assist in achieving this vision and calls for a broader, nationwide freight strategy to provide direction and leadership to the industry and its stakeholders.
Changing Highways Policy
This report to pteg by Atkins focuses on the most important recent and forthcoming changes to highways policy and the implications of these for Metropolitan areas, including in respect of air quality, carbon emissions, technology, the Strategic Road Network, road maintenance, road safety, planning, freight, management of road space and parking policy.
LSTF Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance - Final Report
Building on the work of the Department for Transport, pteg commissioned AECOM to prepare additional guidance for PTEs and other Local Transport Authorities to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of Local Sustainable Transport Fund projects. The guidance provides a practical approach to developing cost effective and affordable monitoring and evaluation programmes.
Cycling in the city regions: Technical report
This document reports the results of a series of modelling exercises intended to estimate the potential impact and value for money of a step change in the delivery of interventions to support and promote cycling in the six PTE areas. The purpose of this exercise is to support decision-makers in developing effective strategies aimed at increasing cycling levels in the metropolitan areas.
Cycling in the city regions: Delivering a step change
This report explores the potential impact of a step change in the delivery of interventions to support and promote cycling in the English city regions outside of London. It finds that the greatest potential for increasing cycling in the UK can be found in the city regions.
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Parliamentary Commission on Physical Activity
Reform of the National Curriculum in England
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South Yorkshire transport chief is new Chair of Urban Transport Group
Stephen Edwards, the Executive Director of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), is the new Chair of the Urban Transport Group.
His appointment follows the end of the two-year term of outgoing Chair Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director at Nexus.
‘Transit oriented development’ can help meet housing demand and reduce car-based urban sprawl, says report
- Report sets out five point plan to realise more building developments based around sustainable, public transport and active travel
Leading urban transport data tool relaunches with expansive range of new statistics
- Refreshed Data Hub expands ability to ‘select, visualise and share’ key transport data
Transport crucial to achieving Government’s ‘Prevention is better than cure’ vision
The Urban Transport Group has today welcomed the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Prevention is better than cure’ vision, whilst also highlighting th
Transport key to ‘putting towns back on the map’, says report
Transport has a key role to play in helping the UK’s post-industrial towns to thrive – putting them firmly back on the map, a report by the Urban Transport Group finds today.
New deal on funding and powers essential to keep cities moving forward, stresses Urban Transport Group
Further devolution of rail services, greater funding for buses and reform of taxi and Private Hire Vehicle legislation – these are just three parts of a new deal on funding and powers that is required to keep the UK’s cities moving forward.
Urban Transport Group launches ‘Healthy Streets for All’ programme with public health expert Lucy Saunders
Healthy Streets for All, a new programme to raise awareness and support UK cities in shaping urban environments around people and their health, has been launched today by the Urban Transport Group in collaboration with renowned public health expert Lucy Saunders.
Cycling and walking schemes are transforming UK cities for the better, says new report
‘Big shift to active travel in urban transport policy is underway’
Dramatic shifts in transport trends of UK cities, revealed in new report
Ageing urban populations, rapid bus passenger decline and huge growth in private hire vehicles are just some of the dramatic shifts taking place in UK cities, a new report from the Urban Transport Group reveals today.
New report identifies fivefold economic benefits of investing in active travel
- 'Strong and robust' case for greater investment in active travel -