Agenda item

A report was submitted which provided Members with an update on the progress in the first two years of the Active Travel programme and outlined the priorities for the coming year.

In April 2019, Dame Sarah Storey had been appointed as the Active Travel Commissioner.  Following which the work area had developed apace, and the Active Travel Implementation Plan (ATIP) had been adopted by the MCA in June 2020.

The following pledges had been made by Dame Storey:-

·            To be led by our communities.

·            To enable Active Travel, not just encourage it.

·            All our infrastructure will meet or exceed minimum standards.

·            All our infrastructure will be fully accessible.

Members noted the need to improve public transport across the region and the country.  It was hoped that active travel would be seen as a crucial part of building the public transport system i.e. walking to a bus stop, cycling to a train station or undertaking the whole journey by foot or bike.

The active travel role within the MCA was to help guide and support local authorities with the strategic plan of active travel and how this linked with other parts of the transport system.  This included ascertaining the funding, strategy, advising on best practice, how to implement the key changes from the Government and to build active travel back into the daily life of everyone.

During the first COVID-19 lockdown period in March and April 2020, the traffic levels had significantly reduced to levels which had last been observed in the 1950’s.  This had enabled individuals to feel safer to go out on their bikes.  The amount of cyclists that had been observed during that period had been very similar to the level of individuals that would otherwise have travelled by vehicle.  During the early part of the pandemic, Dame Storey and P Zanzottera had continued to engage with the communities and had maximised the opportunity for the online platforms.  In April 2020, Dame Storey, P Zanzottera and Mayor Jarvis MBE had written to the Prime Minister to lobby for the Active Travel Fund and to prioritise for active travel beyond the pandemic.

In 2020, the interactive map had been created which added to the support of local people and local authorities to provide a comprehensive network.  Individuals had registered onto the interactive map which had generated a total of 4,729 comments from 1,637 users.  All of those comments together with the comments received from the local authorities, had enabled mapping work to be undertaken on the region to identify where it was hoped to deliver a comprehensive network, which would be delivered over the next 20 year period.  It was envisaged that by the time children had left full time education and entered into the workplace, that they would have the experience of all different modes of travel.  Significant standard changes and raising of standards had been adopted within the Active Travel Plan when the Government had produced the Year 2 document and when the LTN120 had been released in July 2020.

Research had indicated a downward trend in car ownership.  A total of 15% of individuals had sighted the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to reduce their number of vehicles i.e. due to home working/agile working etc.  Case studies had indicated that individuals had replaced their second/third vehicle with an e-bike, cargo bike or had ceased to use a vehicle altogether and would instead make their journeys by foot or by public transport.  One third of the households within South Yorkshire did not have access to a vehicle.  A key talking point from an active travel perspective was the importance of leisure travel, which could increase the volume of traffic.  A total of 66% of short journeys which were 5 miles or less were undertaken by vehicles which could otherwise have been undertaken on foot.  Nationally, a key issue of concern for active travel was safety.  Research from cities and countries across Europe and other parts of the world had indicated that those cities with the least car parking outperformed others.  The high density mixed use developments performed better in towns and cities.

Members noted that the most attractive companies to work were those which enabled individuals to live a more active lifestyle, with a better work life balance and provided a variety of benefits including health and wellbeing i.e. to promote walking, running and cycling.

Within the Active Travel Implementation Plan, work would be undertaken to revise the network to include active travel lanes for individuals on mobility scooters, cargo bikes, e-bikes, standard cycles and non-standard cycles to access a safe segregated space from vehicular traffic.  A key part of the active travel lanes was the active neighbourhoods, with filtered streets to enable individuals to feel safe on a short journey.  Change would be embraced whilst recognising the improvement of air quality, life expectancy of the population and productively of workforces, and to ensure that children had a safe place to grow up where they could be fitter and healthier.

J Muir was surprised to observe that in the overall travel, cycling on a 0 – 500 metre scale only equated to 2%.  In relation to the 20 year plan, he queried whether any targets had been set for cycling within the proportion of active travel in the future.

P Zanzottera referred to the targets that had been set within various plans with a 350% increase in cycling and 10% increase in walking.  The Monitoring and Evaluation Plan would be published shortly.

R Stubbs queried how the LEP could assist to make active travel available for everyone and to inject active travel lanes for an all policy approach.  He considered that thought should be given as to what could be undertaken to influence active travel.

Dame Storey considered that all strands of economy and lives had an opportunity to design active travel back in through a variety of means i.e. creating active travel friendly workplaces and to enable individuals to park their bikes safely and securely.  The vast majority of individuals were supportive of active travel.

Professor Husbands was keenly aware of the cycling safety issues arising from the infrastructure.  He had observed that the volume of road traffic had recently returned to pre-pandemic levels, and he queried how much change was required to make a difference.

Dame Storey commented that support was required to those individuals that made the decisions as to when and where the infrastructure was situated.  She was a huge advocate of behaviour change.  Engagement had been made with South Yorkshire Police who was rolling out Operation Close Pass, which would tackle the issues which prevented individuals from feeling safe whilst on their bikes.  Challenges would be made to the way in which the roads were designed, to ensure that pedestrian islands were not situated in the middle of busy roads or off of roundabouts.  Members noted that to turn all vehicles into electric vehicles from 2030 would not be a solution to the overall problem to reduce the number of vehicles on the road network.

C Travers suggested the development of an app to engage with the community and enable them to plan safely their active travel route.

K Josephs commented that SCC strongly supported all of the ongoing active travel work.  She reiterated and endorsed that whilst infrastructure was very important, the continued and secure revenue support for wrap around was also very important as it related to behaviour changes and the significant changes to the expectations and aspirations which would differ between different parts of the communities.  In relation to the idea of an app, she made a plea that consideration should be given to learning from other areas i.e. TfL which used City Mapper, which utilised open data.

Councillor Sir Houghton CBE commented that infrastructure was required to be in place.  However, in order to achieve behavioural change, there was a requirement to consider the matters through the perspective of some of the most poorest communities within the country.

Members endorsed the comments made by Councillor Sir Houghton CBE.

J Muir highlighted the need to bring jobs into the closer proximities of communities.  This would promote active travel and alleviate the need to travel by vehicles to work.

Dame Storey agreed with the comments made by Councillor Sir Houghton CBE.  There was a need to engage with all of the communities in order to emphasise the benefits that active travel could make to their lives.

L Nickson referred to the communication that was required to made with communities in relation to active travel.  She suggested that a campaign could be formulated around the health agenda, commuter and environmental issues.

In relation to behaviour change, J Chetcuti suggested that there should be clear rewards for individuals i.e. free cinema tickets and discount offers for restaurants etc.  Focus should be given to the small issues which helped individuals to decide whether to walk to work rather than drive.

Members noted a bike to study initiative which was regularly undertaken at a Manchester based university, which provided breakfast on arrival as an incentive to travel to the university by bike.  Such initiatives could be utilised within the workplace.

P Kennan considered that there were two aspects to active travel i.e. the delivery of the capital infrastructure and how to attract cyclists through behaviour change etc.  From the LEP Board perspective, he required a list to be compiled which could be conveyed onto employers to enable their whole workforce to become active; he was keen to compile a list for all of the groups.  He considered that cycle to work schemes and tax incentives were very important.  Stronger, greener and fairer inclusive growth was extremely important to assist those individuals that could not afford a bike to be able to purchase one i.e. through credit unions, finance providers and employers, together with bikes for schools to assist children.

A Greaves referred to the large businesses which were situated on industrial sites that did not provide a facility to store bikes or were not on a bus route, which resulted in individuals having no option other than to drive work.  She wished to actively encourage her staff to travel to work by bike, although this would be challenging as there was only a very small proportion of employees that lived close to the premises.  She would liaise with Dame Storey on the matter.

Mayor Jones CBE referred to several large depots that were situated in Doncaster.  A footbridge and cycle ways would be developed to enable employees to travel from Rossington to the depots.

J Muir queried where active travel would fit within an integrated public transport strategy for South Yorkshire.

M Swales stated that the discussion had begun, which had recently included conversations on the wider integrated transport plan.  He welcomed the invitation for further engagement and how this could be achieved with the LEP.

In relation to the transport system, Dame Storey highlighted the desire for people to have the opportunity to walk or cycle on short journeys or as part of longer journeys on public transport.

J Muir expressed his thanks for the presentation.  He invited Dame Storey and P Zanzottera to attend a future LEP Board meeting.

RESOLVED – That Members:-

i)       Noted the contents of the presentation.

Discussed the issues.