Ahead of the mayoral elections, we set out a five-point agenda for candidates to reduce reliance on cars by investing in active travel and create safe places for people to be active. 

Our Priorities 

Our Partnerships Manager for the Midlands and East, Gavin Passmore, has been meeting the candidates and sharing our priorities with them. We’ve asked each of the candidates to include these in their manifesto ahead of the election. We’ve set out five clear, realistic and achievable priorities for the new Mayor which are:

• Invest in cycling– a minimum of 5% of journeys to be made by bicycle by 2023
• Create safe places for people– cut road danger and design places for people to be active
• Reduce the reliance on car travel–  policies to reduce car use to essential travel
• Connect Birmingham to UK central – create a safe and accessible cycle route
• Support Wolverhampton to reach its potential– access to transport hubs and employment

Investment into active travel

We want the new Mayor to reduce the reliance on car travel by investing in cycling and making streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians - unless we act now we could be heading for gridlock. By 2036 it’s estimated that commuters in the West Midlands will make an extra 1.2 million journeys every day placing additional strain on the network. That’s why the new Mayor needs to embrace active travel as an alternative method of transport.

Across the West Midlands, four out of ten trips under two miles are still being made by the private car, leading to congestion which costs the region £2 billion a year. Shifting these journeys to more sustainable modes of transport could help to reduce traffic jams and improve reliability.

Active travel could also help to improve health and wellbeing across the region. Studies have shown that inactivity is twice as likely to kill as obesity but being active could add four and a half years to a person’s life.

Local support

There’s a real appetite for change in the area. In 2015, the Bike Life survey conducted by Sustrans found that two-thirds of residents in Birmingham supported more investment in cycling and one in three would like to take up cycling.

Speaking about the elections, Gavin said: “We’ve set out five ambitious, yet achievable, priorities which we’re asking candidates to support. Investing in active travel, making it safer and more accessible, must be a priority for the new Mayor. We know that people support investment in active travel and our evidence-based vision can help the economy to grow. It can help people to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys with better spaces to move through and live in.”

Read our full submission document

For all media enquiries please contact Gary Ridley, Communications and Marketing Officer for Sustrans Midlands and East, Gary.Ridley@sustrans.org.uk and 07799717454. 

The overwhelming motivator to begin cycling is to improve health according to a major EU-funded survey across North West Europe, including Belfast. 

The results are published in the same week a draft plan to create 80 miles of bicycle routes in Belfast was launched for consultation by the Department for Infrastructure. 

Improving health was cited as the main reason to start cycling, above saving money and time, by respondents to a workplace survey across Belgium, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Germany.

The survey was the first step in the €4.4m CHIPS project (Cycle Highways Innovation for Smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) which involves Belfast working with these European partner countries over the next two years to tackle high levels of air pollution by encouraging cycling.

Sustrans is the lead UK partner working on the project in east Belfast to reduce car traffic – the biggest cause of air pollution – and promote sustainable transport, such as cycling on the Comber Greenway to commuters.

This week has seen very high levels of air pollution across Northern Ireland, according to DAERA (Department for Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs), which is caused mainly by particulate matter produced by traffic emissions. Air pollution is linked to the early deaths of around 40,000 people a year in the UK, and causes problems such as heart and lung conditions.

Gordon Clarke, Sustrans Northern Ireland Director presented the findings of the CHIPS survey to the Infrastructure Committee at Stormont today.

Need for safe cycle routes 

The survey asked people about the barriers to them cycling to work and found the biggest factors in Belfast were concerns about heavy traffic and erratic drivers.

It confirmed some primary assumptions: in Flanders, Belgium the main barriers are related to the lack of high quality cycle infrastructure; while the Dutch experience, where cycling is commonplace, found there were far fewer barriers compared to other countries.

Belgium respondents also found there were ‘too many cars on the road’ but ranked dangerous cycle path surfaces as the main barrier to cycling.

In Belfast, the weather, such as rain, ice and wind, was ranked as less of a barrier than the issue of ‘no direct cycle routes’ and ‘too many cars on the road’.

Pamela Grove-White, from Sustrans said: “We want to thank everyone who took part in the workplace survey. The results for Belfast confirm many of the barriers we suspected, namely safety and cycling infrastructure. Our overall aim is to help more people try alternatives to the car to reduce the high levels of air pollution in our city.”

With these barriers in mind the CHIPS partners met in Belfast in December to start to design behavioural change campaigns to encourage more people to consider cycling to work.

Read more about CHIPS

Read Sustrans policy position on air quality

Phil Thornley is our I Bike Officer for Aberdeenshire.

The I Bike project arrived in Aberdeenshire during May 2016. Since starting as an I Bike Officer, I have been busy introducing the project to key stakeholders within the local authority including Head Teachers, Active Schools Officers and representatives from partnership agencies, including The Forestry Commission, Ranger Service and Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Studies. During the first six months, I have spent time undertaking essential training courses and delivering structured training sessions, led rides and promotional events.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I really enjoy delivering all of the I Bike sessions but take great satisfaction from encouraging children who find riding a bike to be difficult and watch their confidence and enthusiasm flourish during skill sessions. 

What are you trying to do?

I am continually developing fun and structured activities to give parents the confidence to allow their children to cycle to school, and therefore reducing the amount of vehicle traffic on roads surrounding school premises.

How are you doing it?

I am doing this through structured skills sessions, increasing road safety awareness, introduction to bike mechanics and on-road training via the Cycling Scotland Bikeability syllabus.

What’s the best bit about the job?

Delivering led rides, taking the children out of the classroom and into the outdoor environment to learn new skills is very rewarding.

Which schools are you currently working with?

• Inverurie Market Place Primary School
• Kellands Primary School 
• Port Elphinstone Primary School
• Strathburn Primary School
• Kintore Primary School
• The Gordon School
• Inverurie Academy

Upcoming events / I Bike news

In 2016 I successfully delivered my first Bikeability courses, set up a number of girls cycling clubs and organised a light festival event in Inverurie, attracting over 100 children/parents to cycle on a traffic free route within Kellands Park, Inverurie whilst dressed in fairy lights. I have been busy planning new activities for delivery in 2017. These include geocaching, led walks, bike maintenance and active travel breakfasts. 

Contact Phil

Laura Smith is our I Bike Officer for Dundee.

I am still fairly new in my role in Dundee, but there has been so much positive response from schools and pupils in regard to the I Bike Project. From Bike Breakfasts to High Vis days there is always something for schools and pupils alike to be getting involved with. 

What do you enjoy about your job?

I love all aspects of my job. No two days are ever the same. Some days I will be delivering safety sessions at an assembly and the next I will be delivering cycling skill sessions in the playground. It’s such a fun and rewarding job. 

What are you trying to do?

Promoting and encouraging active travel is our main aim.

How are you doing it? 

I am meeting with schools to plan fun and exciting events and activities to encourage and educate pupils of the benefits of walking, cycling and scooting.

What’s the best bit about the job?

I love the positive vibe which surrounds my job. Meeting, working and promoting healthy living and active travel with children and adults every day is so rewarding. Kids love cycling, scooting and walking and I feel very lucky to have a job where I can allow them to do so safely while having lots of fun. 

Which schools are you currently working with?

Intensive (year 1 of engagement)

• St Pauls R.C. Academy 
• St Andrews RC Primary School
• St Vincent’s RC Primary School
• St Fergus RC Primary School
• St Pius RC Primary School
• St Luke’s and St Matthew’s RC Primary School
• Harris Academy
• Ancrum Road Primary School
• Blackness Primary School
• Victoria Park Primary School

Supported (year 2 of engagement)

• Hillside Primary School
• Gowriehill Primary School
• Camperdown Primary School
• Grove Academy
• Eastern Primary School
• Barnhill Primary School
• Forthill Primary School

Upcoming events / I Bike news

I have lots of various different events and activities planned within each school, including learn to ride sessions, led walks/rides, Bike Breakfasts and safety assemblies. Bike Breakfasts are when pupils will receive a free, healthy breakfast before they start school to follow their morning cycle.

Is Laura your local I Bike Officer? Get in touch 

Roslynn Newman and Gordon Burt are our I Bike Officers for Midlothian.

What do you enjoy about your job?

Roslynn: I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm and motivation for cycling and activity with children, young people and their communities. I love working with children and young people.

Gordon: I enjoy the challenges that working in different schools and classes bring. Each group or school have their own ideas and goals for their particular community groups and it is great to see how each of these plans develop and how much the teachers and pupils become invested into the programme.

What are you trying to do?

Roslynn: I am focusing on increasing the number of children using active travel choices to travel to school and throughout their day. I am also focusing on mental and physical health and wellbeing by encouraging children to take up cycling as a means of exercise and positive direction. I am keen to work with local clubs and parent groups to increase volunteers and engage with the community capacity of the project.

Gordon: By working closely with the schools my aim is to increase the number of pupils, parents and teachers using active travel on a regular basis, reducing car usage around the schools, improving health, fitness and wellbeing for all. The work we do in schools also contributes to healthier communities by focusing on the environmental impact of our decisions, looking at the impact from litter, carbon emissions, and energy usage.

How are you doing it?

Roslynn: I work closely with six primary schools and a high school by running regular fun and engaging activities. I am also working with the local youth group in Mayfield and cycling club to increase the uptake of cycling in the community.

Gordon: I run a variety of different programmes targeting pupils across all year groups from P1 – S3, these include practical bike skills and training, through to classroom fun activities using science, art, maths and information technology to deliver the key messages and lessons. Where possible learning in an outdoor environment is a great way of engaging pupils and experiencing new places and activities with the help of our partner organisations.

What’s the best bit about the job?

Roslynn: I love that every day is different. I meet so many different people and love running fun activities with the children. They have such a wonderful outlook on life and it’s very rewarding to see their sense of accomplishment and confidence increase through the I Bike project.

Gordon: The best bit of the job is, getting paid to have fun, ride bikes and pass on skills and learning to our communities. This in turn will help them become safer, healthier, more active both now and in the future. Watching the progression from pupils who cannot ride a bike to riding through an obstacle course or along the local cycle path confidently has to be one of the main highlights.

Which schools are you currently working with?

Roslynn is working intensively with the Newbattle School Cluster, which includes:

• Newbattle High School
• Mayfield Primary School
• Lawfield Primary School
• Gorebridge Primary School
• Stobhill Primary School
• Moorfoot Primary School
• Newtongrange Primary School

Gordon is working intensively with the Lasswde School Cluster, which includes:

• Lasswade High School
• Bonnyrigg Primary School
• Burnbrae Primary School
• Hawthornden Primary School
• Lasswade Primary School
• Loanhead Primary School
• Paradykes Primary School
• Rosewell Primary School

Contact Roslynn

Contact Gordon

Emily Farquhar is our I Bike Officer for North Ayrshire

I Bike began in September 2015 in the Garnock Valley and the schools have been welcoming and enthusiastic about the project. This year the project has expanded to the Largs area taking the total number of schools engaged to 15.

What do you enjoy about your job?

When the children love cycling they bring fun, enthusiasm and creativity to every activity making my job genuinely easy to enjoy. I particularly like providing cycling opportunities for pupils who don’t own a bike or those haven’t ridden one since they were little.

What are you trying to do?

The aim of the project is very simple; to support and encourage pupils to walk, cycle and scoot to school.

Travelling to school on foot, bike or scooter is one of the easiest ways to fit physical activity into everyday life. Good for health and wellbeing active travel increases self-confidence, teaches self-responsibility and helps reduces the traffic-jam at the school gates. What’s not to love!

In reality it’s not as straightforward as this particularly when cycling to school is not possible due to the surrounding roads. However supporting pupils to learn life skills such as riding a bike, fixing a puncture and how to be safe on the road helps them to see the bike as a great transport option and will hopefully create good habits in the future.

How are you doing it?

Each school is different so the project and its resources are adaptable to deliver activities that suit the school's circumstances. Promoting walking may not be as glamorous as bike riding but pupils and schools have been just as keen to go on led walks and run walk to school competitions, they just needed a little extra support to do so.

Pupil bike crews and school champions are the ones who make the real difference in the schools and all the I Bike officers couldn’t do it without them.

What’s the best bit about the job?

Some of the best moments over the first year of the project have been the small-scale successes, such as the pupil who didn’t seem interested at first and “hated cycling” who now talks about bikes every time I see them. The pupil who gets frustrated and is disruptive in class but was relaxed, chatty and responsive to instructions when out on a led ride. The pupil who had a bad fall and didn’t get back on a bike for years who then got a new one for Christmas because they learnt to ride confidently. There are too many to mention.

Which schools are you currently working with?

Intensive (year 1 of engagement):

• Skelmorlie Primary
• Cumbrae Primary
• Largs Academy
• Brisbane Primary
• Kelburn Primary
• St Mary’s Primary
• Fairlie Primary

Supported (year 2 of engagement):

• Beith Primary
• Garnock Community Campus
• St Bridget’s Primary
• Moorpark Primary
• Gateside Primary
• St Palladius Primary
• Dalry Primary

Contact Emily at 07825 833 934 or by email

Claire Brady is our I Bike Officer for North Lanarkshire.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I have only been working as an I Bike Officer since the beginning of May 2016 so there are many things I have yet to experience. I was attracted to the post in the first place as I am a keen cyclist and walker, for both commuting and leisure and am passionate about improving the lives of local communities. I Bike has been shown to deliver fantastic improvements to communities in other local authorities and I’m very excited to be the first to deliver it in North Lanarkshire.

What are you trying to do?

I’m helping children to be able to travel to school by cycling, walking or scooting. Most children want to travel to school by active travel but encounter barriers that prevent them from doing so. I help the schools identify these barriers and find solutions so that those who want to travel actively can.

How are you doing it?

By supporting schools to deliver the I Bike project, working closely with each school’s I Bike Champion and the Pupil Bike Crew. Each school has a programme of active travel related activities throughout the year which is tailored to individual schools requirements. 

What’s the best bit about the job?

It’s great having such variety in my work. I'll be with P1 one day and S6 another, other times I'll be inside doing workshops or outside doing rides, walks and maintenance. I’m looking forward to being able to improve children’s health and wellbeing through I Bike.

Which schools are you currently working with?

• Braidhurst High School
• Cathedral Primary School
• Knowetop Primary School
• Ladywell Primary School
• Logans Primary School
• Muir Street Primary School
• Our Lady’s High School
• St Bernadette’s Primary School
• St Brendan’s Primary School

Upcoming events / I Bike news

This is the first year of I Bike in North Lanarkshire and I will be intensively engaged with the above schools. This term I am delivering assemblies, hi-viz and helmet safety workshops, Dr Bike and active travel breakfasts with the help of my newly recruited champions and Bike Crews.

Contact Claire

Bryan Jardine is our I Bike Officer for Larbert and Grangemouth.

I Bike is now well established in the Larbert cluster with many of the schools delivering regular cycling and walking activities. Larbert High School has been established as a cycling school for a number of years and is going from strength to strength. The Grangemouth Cluster have hit the ground running with awesome enthusiasm. All the schools have held events and are booking activities and staff training for the future.

What do you enjoy about your job?

Every day in this job is different and rewarding. I love meeting all the kids in schools and seeing their enthusiasm to stay active and healthy as well as helping our environment. I’m always learning which is awesome.

What are you trying to do?

I’m trying to get staff, parents and pupils to not see the car as the automatic choice for travelling. Supporting communities through advice and training and showing them how easy it can be to cycle and how fun it is for everyone.

How are you doing it?

Each school requires a different approach. Through working closely with the I Bike crew and Cycle Champions I try to give the best support for everyone and identify what will work for them.

What’s the best bit about the job?

I love the variety from staff training to Bike Breakfasts to being shown how it’s done by 13-year-old Mountain Bikers, but the best bit has to be working with the I Bike crews.

Which schools are you currently working with?

Intensive (year 1 of engagement)

• Grangemouth High School
• Beancross Primary
• Bowhouse Primary
• Moray Primary
• Bothkennar Primary

Supported (year 2 of engagement)

• Larbert High School
• Kinnaird Primary School
• Larbert Village Primary
• Carronshore Primary School
• Carron Primary School
• Airth Primary
• Stenhousemuir Primary School
• Ladeside primary

Is Bryan your local I Bike Officer? Get in touch by email or call 07795 237 987 

Today the UK Government’s long-awaited housing white paper: ‘Fixing our broken housing market’ is published putting additional pressure on councils in England to build more homes.

Whilst the numbers are important it is equally vital that we build homes in the right places, at the appropriate density, and following good design principles. This can enable new attractive and sustainable communities where travel by foot, bike or public transport is the norm.

Integrating transport and planning

At Sustrans, we recognise the urgent need to build more homes, however we also recognise the need to ensure this renewed emphasis on housing targets goes hand in hand with creating attractive, liveable communities that enable people to travel sustainably, especially by bike and foot.

This means integrating the objectives of planning and transport more closely both in policy and more critically in practice by enabling local authorities to better manage how this plays out on the ground.

With this in mind, how does today’s housing white paper recognise the need to build in the right places and encourage sustainable transport in new developments in England?

Increasing building in urban areas and building at a higher density

The Government’s white paper retains protection for the Green Belt, apart from in exceptional circumstances, encouraging the prioritisation of the regeneration of derelict developments in cities instead.

We support greater building in urban areas which tend to be the most appropriate locations if we are to make cycling and walking viable. This is simply because in urban areas people live closer to the jobs, schools and other services they need to access on a day to day basis.

Furthermore, proposals are included to encourage developers to increase the density of developments where there is a shortage of land, especially in areas close to public transport hubs.

Building at an increased density supports more compact urban areas. Studies have shown more compact cities tend to reduce car use, as well as make cycling, walking and public transport economically viable[1]. Furthermore, higher density, mixed-use developments containing homes, local shops, restaurants and offices together bring life and culture to places and help to attract people to inner city living; a phenomenon already underway in many UK cities.

It is welcoming to see greater emphasis on amending the National Planning Policy Framework to encourage urban development at higher densities, however this should be cautioned; there is little in today’s white paper to clearly show how planning practices will change in this respect on the ground.

One positive step within the paper is a proposal to require developers to start building within two years, rather than the current three, once planning permission is granted. This may have an impact on speeding up the completion of proposed developments on land already with permission, many of which are located within urban areas. This move may help to increase housing supply in urban areas and reduce pressure on building in greenfield or Green Belt sites.

Embedding sustainable transport infrastructure in and around new developments

Whilst building in the right locations and at the appropriate density is important we also need to do more to encourage developers and local authorities to ensure sustainable transport infrastructure, especially walking and cycling is accounted for.

High-quality cycling and walking infrastructure should be part of the design of developments and help finance infrastructure to connect the development to existing networks. Motor vehicle use and car parking should be effectively managed within the development. This makes active travel more attractive and convenient for people whilst reducing car dependency. Reduced car use creates streets and public places designed for people that are attractive, encourage community interaction and improve safety.

The UK Government’s white paper fails to take this opportunity in England and more needs to be done to improve planning standards for new developments that enable sustainable transport.

Our policy position on integrating housing growth and sustainable transport

With the population of the UK expected to rise by 10 million over the next 25 years[2], pressure upon transport networks will rise. In urban areas, there is no additional space for roads and therefore walking, cycling and public transport offers the only solution to manage congestion and increase transport efficiency.

Our recent policy position on integrating housing growth and planning with sustainable transport recognises some critical needs, if we are to get this right:

• Better integrate housing growth, transport and health within local authorities
• Build within or adjacent to existing towns and cities or nearby commuter hubs wherever possible
• Design and account for walking and cycling in new developments
• Enable communities to play a role in the planning process
• Connect new developments to existing cycling and walking networks
• Secure investment and support for cycling and walking

Sustrans and Translink have partnered on this Valentine’s Day to say ‘thank you’ to bus and cycling commuters for not polluting our air. The ‘Love Is in the Air’ campaign in Belfast aims to raise awareness of the high levels of air pollution caused mainly by car traffic.

On Valentine’s Day sleepy morning commuters will be offered chocolate hearts and red apples as they wait at a bus stop on the Upper Newtownards Road.

The bus stop is close to the busy Knock Road junction which has an air quality monitoring station checking levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO²) due to pollution from road traffic.

The air quality awareness campaign is part of a major EU-funded programme, across North West Europe, to tackle high levels of air pollution by encouraging cycling and public transport instead of car journeys.

We are the lead UK partner working on the project in east Belfast to reduce car traffic and promote sustainable transport, such as cycling on the Comber Greenway to commuters.

Tackling air pollution by staying active

Caroline Bloomfield, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager at the Public Health Agency, which part-funds the CHIPS initiative, said: “Encouraging people to be more physically active on their commute to work is a great way to tackle air pollution but it’s also an excellent way to give our health and wellbeing a boost. The PHA’s Choose to Live Better campaign encourages everyone to fit more activity in their daily routine. Being more active helps reduce the risk of developing obesity, many chronic conditions and improves our mental health. We’d encourage everyone to get more active: Leaving the car at home is not only better for us individually, but better for the whole community. 

Damien Bannon, Belfast Bus Area Manager said: “Given a reduction of 500 cars on the road reduces traffic queues by 3km, Translink is delighted to be partnering with Sustrans this Valentine’s Day. This event is to surprise and delight our passengers, walkers and cyclists for making healthy and active travel choices.”

Recent weeks have seen very high levels of air pollution across Northern Ireland, according to DAERA (Department for Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs), which is caused mainly by particulate matter produced by traffic emissions. Air pollution is linked to the early deaths of up to 40,000 people a year in the UK, and causes problems such as heart and lung conditions.

Pamela Grove-White, from Sustrans said: “Our aim is to help more people try alternatives to the car to reduce the high levels of air pollution in our city. We have kick-started this campaign to raise awareness of the issue, explain the benefits of cycling and public transport to everyone’s health and the environment. What better way to do this than thank the people already keeping our air clean.”

Key facts

• The €4.4m CHIPS project (Cycle Highways Innovation for Smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) which involves Belfast working with European partner countries – Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany - over the next two years to tackle high levels of air pollution by encouraging cycling and alternatives to the car.
• According to the Travel Survey for NI – In depth Report, in 2013-15, journeys under five miles accounted for over three fifths of all journeys made. Of these, 64% were made by car. Just over one third of all journeys were less than two miles long and a half of these journeys were taken by car. However, in pockets of Belfast where infrastructure is improving there is a growing number of cycling commuters.
• Get tips on living better.
• The Knock Road junction is one of 4 Air Quality Management Areas under Belfast City Council.
• The Royal College of Physicians estimated that air pollution shortens the lives of between 29,000 - 40,000 people each year in the UK. Read more on air quality.
• Read more about the CHIPS project.
• Follow the campaign #LoveIsInTheAir, #LoveAir and #smartmovers on Twitter.

Sustrans has criticised the sudden decision by the Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister to allow taxis into bus lanes in Belfast.

The Department for Infrastructure announced today that it will allow taxis to use bus lanes for a trial period of 12 weeks starting from Monday 20 February. Currently only a limited number of taxis such as wheelchair accessible vehicles are permitted to use bus lanes in the city. However, this decision will allow the vast majority of taxis, an estimated 4,000 vehicles to use the bus lanes on the East and West Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and the 12 hour bus lanes in the city centre, which link the two routes.

Sustrans has lobbied hard for many years to prevent taxis in bus lanes because they are essential infrastructure for cycling in a city with few segregated cycle lanes. We have issued the following statement:

We are extremely disappointed by this decision which we see as a potential setback for cycling in the city.

This decision has been made at very short notice, without a period of consultation or indeed reasonable advanced notice to all those who currently use bus lanes. Decisions, such as this, made in haste often fail to properly consider all the consequences and create more problems than they solve.

Overwhelming majority opposed taxis in bus lanes

The last time this issue was consulted on by the Department in 2012, the overwhelming majority of respondents (86%) were opposed to taxis being permitted into bus lanes. Therefore we are unsure what this decision is based on and how it aims to ‘balance and respect the needs of all road users’. On the contrary we believe this is a premature decision as there is currently limited alternatives for cyclists given the lack of a segregated bike network in the city.

In the absence of segregated cycle lanes, bus and cycle lanes (their official title) have become safe havens for cyclists offering the best access in and out of the city. Our concern is that cyclists who currently rely on bus lanes will give up due to safety fears.

We are concerned that this ‘trial’ will be repeating the mistake made in Dublin where taxis were allowed into bus lanes for a temporary period in 1997 which then drifted into a permanent arrangement. Taxis in bus lanes are today considered the biggest problem for cycling safety in Dublin. The Road Safety Authority in the Republic of Ireland carries out an annual Free Speed Survey which secretly measures vehicle category speeds. Taxis are always the major breacher of the speed limit in urban areas. 

Cyclists among most vulnerable road users

Cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users. We believe this trial contradicts the government’s own strategy to promote sustainable transport and active travel as it will hinder people ‘to have the freedom and confidence to travel by bicycle for everyday journeys’. [Dept for Infrastructure Bicycle Strategy]

We recently welcomed and are supportive of the Department for Infrastructure’s recently published Belfast Bike Network Plan which sets out a timescale of 10 years for its implementation. We have consistently argued that the Department should be developing parallel routes to Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) to offer cyclists a safe alternative to the bus lanes. In light of this decision this is more urgent than ever. There is now an onus on the Department to make the Bike Network Plan a priority. We need the Minister to make a commitment now for immediate investment in the Plan and for its urgent implementation. In particular we call for the upgrading of the Comber Greenway, alongside links into the city centre, and the route from the City out to west Belfast.

Only when there is an alternative, comprehensive segregated network of cycle lanes in place in the city should consideration be given to allowing taxis in bus lanes.

Read the Department for Infrastructure press release on taxis in bus lanes.

In 2008 we brought a pioneering bike hire scheme to the UK for the first time to encourage cycling and walking at Leeds universities to help reduce traffic and car parking and improve health of students and staff.

Challenge

In 2008 universities in Leeds realised they had a big problem with cars. Too many students and university staff were driving to work and study and the car parks were overflowing at the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan (now Leeds Beckett) University, Leeds Trinity University College and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. There were also concerns that students’ health was suffering: 50% of students were physically active less than three times a week.

Jason Colbeck, Transport Coordinator at Leeds Beckett University, said: “At Leeds Beckett parking was a huge issue. There were 6,000 vehicle movements every day. There was a realisation that something needed to be done. Cycling was at a low point, when you consider that universities tend to have more cycling than other organisations."

Partnership working to deliver change

The Universities wanted to promote health and wellbeing through encouraging and facilitating active travel in the everyday lives of students, university staff and local communities.

Making walking and cycling attractive would address both the parking congestion and health problems, whilst bringing wider economic, time and environmental benefits to the campus and surrounding areas. 

Solution

The universities formed a partnership with Leeds City Council and Sustrans in order to deliver a package of measures to try and tackle the problem. With a combination of Big lottery funding, partner match funding and additional funding for monitoring and resources from the Leeds Primary Care Trust, project delivery commenced in January 2008 under the external facing brand ‘Velocampus’.

The four-year project under the name UTravelActive included:

• Bike hire
• Bike hub
• Bike maintenance
• Walking and cycling events

Cheap bike hire was at the heart of the UTravelActive concept. A fleet of 400 branded bikes were hired out at favourable rates to students for a semester.

“They were so cheap they flew out the door,” said Sustrans Project Officer Sarah Bradbury.  "All participants could then access the services of a bicycle mechanic."

As the scheme grew, support services expanded too. As well as longer term bike hire the project invited staff to ‘try cycling’ for up to a month. Additional activities included led rides and walks to motivate people who were unsure of routes and who needed to improve their cycling confidence and fitness levels.

At the bike hub, with one to two days support from Sustrans staff, people could access information and attend workshops, including maintenance classes for learning bike repair skills.

Results

Within five years the campuses had transformed. By 2013 there was a dramatic increase in walking and cycling to the university. All the bikes were hired and their distinctive green and white livery could be spotted throughout the city. Workshops at the hub were thriving and a new cycling culture had been born. As more people cycled and walked to the university pressure on car parking also reduced.

Statistics from all participating universities showed:

• 4,000 bike hub users
• 8,471 people attended UTravelActive organised events over the four years
• Lasting behaviour change: 90% of participants who were infrequent or non-cyclists before hiring continued cycling post-hire
• Normalisation of cycling via development of “everyday cycling” with the fleet of 400 branded bikes visible throughout the city
• Hard to reach group of female cyclists successfully engaged with 50% of hirers being female.
• Health benefits: 76% of those surveyed said they felt healthier as a result of participating in the scheme and 42% said they had lost weight
• Continued engagement throughout the project: 770 people took part in a walking challenge in year three

Award winning partner

In 2012 Leeds City Council awarded Sustrans Partner of the Year.

“I am pleased to see, through successful joint working, the valuable contribution the UTravelActive project has made to the council’s aspirations for a low-carbon, sustainable transport system and the support it has provided to residents and students alike in making the change to more sustainable transport modes," said Councillor Richard Lewis, Executive Board Member for Development and the Economy, Leeds City Council.

Testimonials

The universities say UTravelActive helped them to achieve their objectives to change travel behaviour and develop a positive cycling and walking culture in the city.

Dennis Hopper, Director of Facilities Management at the University of Leeds said: “The project has made a positive impact especially in enhancing the student experience and in achieving travel plan objectives, with significant increases in cycling and walking levels amongst staff and students.

"The Velocampus bike hire and hub have become a real asset to the university community, and we look forward to continuing our support into the future.”

Making a long-term sustainable difference

The combination of cheap bikes and a supportive community has proved enduringly popular with students and staff, and helped people change their travel habits.

“I’ve found riding a bike to be the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to travel as well as the most enjoyable - much better than a crowded bus!" said Tamara Bloom, a former student at the University of Leeds, who hired a Velocampus bike for the year, and went on to commute regularly by bike when she worked at the university.

"It’s also been the most fun way of getting exercise and something that I wouldn’t have been able to benefit from if it wasn’t for this scheme." 

UTravelActive continued for a further three years thanks to additional funding from the Department for Transport. In the longer term, the project also made a significant impact to infrastructure developments in the city. Partners identified a number of improvements to layouts and signage to make cycling and walking safer. Three cycle routes were also developed by Leeds City Council and Sustrans in conjunction with UTravelActive partners to serve the universities and hospitals, with a total investment of £1.3m.

Although the project is now over, the universities continue to run workshops on bike maintenance and information support.

“I think there would be uproar if the workshops stopped,” said Jason Colbeck at Leeds Beckett.

Meanwhile the universities’ 400 white and green bikes around the city are a constant reminder that cycling culture is here to stay in Leeds.

All the activities within UTravelActive project were made possible through a Wellbeing grant from the Big Lottery Fund to Sustrans, as part of the Active Travel Consortium, with matched funding from the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds City Council and Leeds Primary Care Trust plus Department for Transport funding.

Personalised Travel Planning is an established approach that enables people to think about the way they currently travel and provides them with the information, advice and motivation to walk, cycle and use public transport more often. 

Research has shown that many journeys, particularly shorter ones, could be made on foot, bike, or public transport, and without any infrastructure or service improvements. People often use their cars out of habit or are not aware of the alternative options available.

Personalised Travel Planning is about breaking down the subjective barriers to using sustainable transport and providing attractive and reliable information on the alternatives.

It can be delivered in a variety of settings including:

• Residential
• Workplaces
• Schools
• Further and higher education
• Public events
• Transport and community hubs

Personalised Travel Planning in action

We have been working with a range of European partners to deliver and monitor the benefits of Personalised Travel Planning. Running in Antwerp, Burgos, Ljubljana, London (Haringey and Greenwich) and Riga, the project has delivered behaviour change away from the car and also increased capacity and skills across partner nations. PTP-Cycle ran from 2013 until 2016. During the project, PTP was delivered to nearly 47,300 participants.

The project was co-funded by the Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme granted by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). Sustrans was the expert partner, designing and delivering training to partner cities. There was also a practitioner mentoring scheme which saw cities partner-up to deliver study visits to increase the skills and knowledge of their teams. In 3 years, the project has delivered:

• Reduction of car fuel consumption by 401,000 litres
• Decrease of car kilometres by 7,931,000
• Reduction of CO2 emissions by 1031 tonnes
• Reduction in traffic noise, saving €13,500 after one year (based on calculation tools from CE Delft)
• Reduction of absenteeism by 2.2 days on average per person

The project has demonstrated that Personalised Travel Planning is a successful transferable methodology in five different countries and in multiple settings.

Read the full report on the PTP-Cycle project outcomes and lessons learned.

To celebrate the start of safer ‘Danish-style’ cycling conditions in Greater Manchester over 80 women joined a breakfast bike ride to the Whitworth Art Gallery. The bike ride, that coincided with International Women's Day, was organised by Sustrans and Love Your Bike and is one of many events that are taking place throughout March as part of Women on Wheels.

Participants commuted along Greater Manchester’s newest and longest separate from traffic cycle route, The Wilmslow Road Cycleway, to the Whitworth Art Gallery café for breakfast, including Danish pastries. 

Safety a concern for female cyclists

Up to four times as many men cycle in Britain compared to women, mainly due to fears around safety. In countries like Denmark which have a quality network of traffic-free cycle routes, women outnumber men. In the recent Bike Life report for Greater Manchester female interviewees highlighted safety as a concern and 75% of all respondents said they supported more investment in cycling. 

Rosslyn Colderley, Sustrans’ England Director North said: “This International Women’s Day we want to celebrate the new Wilmslow Road cycle corridor. We know that women are put off cycling here in Manchester because of dangerous roads. Yet in Denmark, where traffic-free cycle paths are the norm, more women cycle than men.

 “These new cycle routes will help more people feel safer to get on their bikes and the Women’s Day ride is a chance for women to try out Greater Manchester’s first version of a Danish-style route, and demonstrate their support for more similar routes.”

Increasing cycling levels in Greater Manchester 

Love Your Bike volunteer Catherine Thomson said: “Love Your Bike campaigns for improved cycling facilities to enable more people to cycle to school, work and for leisure. It is fantastic that these new cycle routes are available – but as research shows more people would cycle if there are safe routes – so we need to invest in building a network of safe, convenient cycle routes across Greater Manchester.”

Greater Manchester aims to increase cycling levels to 10% of regular journeys by 2025, and recently opened the Wilmslow Road Cycleway as one of six new routes separate from traffic in the city region. The ‘Dutch-style’ cycle route on Oxford Road is due to open in the Spring.

There is a movement to make London’s streets and public spaces fairer, healthier, greener and more liveable. #Street Talks are a series of informal events that are open to anyone and facilitate discussion into a diverse range of ideas and topics around travel and public spaces in London.

From 2017, Sustrans will be leading the organisation and management of Street Talks. Street Talks are an opportunity for anyone with an interest in travel and public spaces in London to meet with others involved in cycling, walking, architecture and design to explore and discuss insights, best practice and plans. The event is open to everyone; professionals, commentators, campaigners and individuals.

Vision for London

The London Mayor Sadiq Khan has made it clear he has a vision for ‘Healthy Streets’ in London, making cycling and walking much safer and more attractive. But what does this actually mean in practice? Our Street Talks events will try to answer just that.

Street Talks event highlights 

The latest event took place at Look Mum No Hands! cafe in central London in February 2017.
Event chair: Dermot Finch, Director of The Prince’s Trust in London and the South of England.
Speakers: Dr Will Norman, Walking and Cycling Commissioner for London and Val Shawcross CBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport.

Video: Val Shawcross

Video: Will Norman

Video: Val Shawcross and Will Norman Q&A  

Upcoming Street Talks events

Street Talks events are usually free but require individuals to register as capacity is limited. Each event includes guest speakers and aims give the opportunity for collaborative thinking and sharing.

Sign up to be notified about the next #StreetTalks event

Have a suggestion for a future talk? Get in touch 

Sustrans Scotland has been encouraging people to travel more actively to work during March, by inviting them to join its Scottish Workplace Journey Challenge.

Workplaces from across the country are competing against each other to see who can clock up the most walking, cycling, public transport and car-sharing journeys between 1–31 March, in a bid to win more than £2,000 worth of prizes.

Funded by Transport Scotland, the free challenge is helping to inspire people to travel in ways that benefit their health, wellbeing and the environment.  

The team in Sustrans Scotland have been overwhelmed by the success so far

The concept is simple: individuals, or workplaces sign up for the challenge using the Scotland.getmeactive.org.uk website and app, which is customised for the challenge. 

Journeys can be logged on a daily basis or at any stage of the week or month. Participants can track their progress, see how many calories they’ve burned, what percentage of their weekly 150 minutes exercise they’ve achieved, and how much money they’ve saved by cycling or walking instead of driving, and how much CO2 emissions they’ve reduced. 

To add an element of competition and fun, it’s possible for workplaces to track themselves against other workplaces – or even within departments of the same company.

Half way through and more than double the impact

Our workplaces co-ordinator Jenny Muir said. “It’s been really inspiring so far. Last year was the first year of the Scottish Workplaces Journey Challenge. This year, we’ve more than doubled the number of people signed up for the challenge and have an 80% increase in the number of workplaces taking part.  Halfway through the challenge and we are already at nearly 25,000 journeys recorded. 

“There's a great element of fun in the challenge. Watching people tweet their pictures of their journey to work inspires others to give it a try. And of course there is healthy competition between different companies."

One such company is the office of the world’s largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe where 90% of the workforce have joined the challenge.

Sally Davidge, HR Manager for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “The Scottish Workplace challenge is a great initiative to get people thinking about alternative, more active ways to travel to work. We are really enjoying the challenge and the friendly competition with other businesses across the country.”

If your company wishes to take part in future Workplace Journey Challenges, or to find out about what support we can offer to encourage and enable your staff to travel on foot or by bike more often, contact Sustrans about our workplace engagement opportunities. 

Sustrans worked over a three year period with Cobalt Business Park in the North East of England to remove the barriers to sustainable commuting, reduce congestion and increase workplace health and productivity. The project achieved 520 fewer sick days per year, equating to £125,320 of accumulative savings for the business park per year.

Tackling sickness absence

In 2011, around 131 million days were lost through absences due to sickness or injury in the UK [1]. The average worker takes 4.5 sick days each year. The impact on UK employers is significant, with absenteeism costing employers £258 per worker per day [2]. Employees who travel to work actively are fitter, healthier and happier. This is supported by a range of recent research showing that regular cyclists take less sick days than non-cyclists [3].

Employee engagement activities

Activities and events included:

• volunteer training
• adult cycle skills training
• weekly lunchtime walk group
• evening guided cycle rides
• co-ordination of a cycle buddy system
• bike user group
• workshops e.g. how to fix a puncture
• awareness events
• information and advice sessions.

Outstanding results

The Cobalt Business Park active travel project resulted in:

• 520 fewer sick days per year
• £125,320 of accumulative savings for the business park per year or £0.5 million over four years
• 43% of people with access to a car reduced the amount they drove by at least one mile per day
• 50% increase in the number of people achieving 30 minutes of physical activity on seven days per week
• 76% increase in the number of people travelling actively for 10 minutes or more on five or more days per week

[1] ONS, April 2012 Sickness Absence in the Labour Market

[2] The average cost of a day’s absence from work is £258.10 and is calculated using DfT’s transport appraisal guidance (WebTAG 3.5.6)

[3] LSE, 2013 ‘Gross Cycling Product’ Report

For more information on this project email Kevin Mccann Head of Partnerships in the North of England or call 0161 923 6050.

If you'd like to work with us elsewhere in the UK please contact your local Sustrans team.

Sustrans, has rejected calls by a group of taxi companies, to allow taxis in all Belfast bus lanes on a permanent basis.

Taxi trial

In February just before the recent Northern Ireland Assembly elections, the Transport Minister announced a 12-week trial to allow Class A taxis to use a limited number of bus lanes in the city. At the time Sustrans criticised the decision, which was made suddenly, without any consultation and described it as a potential setback for cycling in the city.

The taxi companies have begun a campaign to keep taxis in Belfast bus lanes and expand this to all bus lanes in the city on a permanent basis. The campaign fronted by Fona Cab owner William McCausland have claimed that just six weeks into the trial they can “already see benefits”, such as reduced congestion and traffic moving quicker.

Sustrans has challenged Mr McCausland to provide any evidence for these claims. Mr McCausland continues that taxis are “a vital public service” which reduce traffic and are beneficial to the environment by reducing congestion. We all know that taxis are private hire vehicles which are not a substitute for an efficient public transport system.

Purpose of bus lanes

The purpose of bus lanes is to provide sustainable transport corridors to improve the efficiency of moving people around an urban area, while reducing congestion and air pollution. Belfast simply cannot support the predominance of private vehicles on our road, including taxis.

Mr McCausland also claims that increased regulation and training of drivers has ensured taxi drivers treat road users with respect and are conscious of ensuring safety at all times. The evidence we have been gathering does not support this claim. We have been monitoring bus lanes and already have several reports of near misses of cyclists by taxi drivers.

Safe Urban Driving Course

In order for cyclists to be more visible and safe when cycling on a road or bus lane, the recommended position is at least one metre (an arm’s length) from the kerb. Given that the majority of bus lanes in greater Belfast are 3m wide, when cyclists are in the safest position on the road there is insufficient space for taxis to pass cyclists within the lane. 

In order to pass cyclists safely, taxi drivers have to move into the outside lane. Sustrans has been running a very successful safe urban driving course with lorry and bus drivers which has been helping to improve safety. We would welcome the opportunity to offer this training to taxi drivers as we want to share the road safely with everyone.

Repeating mistakes 

We are concerned that this ‘trial’ will be repeating the mistake made in Dublin where taxis were allowed into bus lanes for a temporary period in 1997 which then drifted into a permanent arrangement. Taxis in bus lanes are today considered the biggest problem for cycling safety in Dublin. Cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users. 

We believe this trial contradicts the government’s own strategy to promote sustainable transport and active travel as it will hinder people ‘to have the freedom and confidence to travel by bicycle for everyday journeys’ - Department for Infrastructure Bicycle Strategy.

Investment in safe segregated cycle infrastructure

We have consistently argued that the Department should be developing parallel routes to Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) to offer cyclists a safe alternative to bus lanes. The Department is currently consulting on a Belfast Bicycle Network which we hope will lead to a modern network of safe, segregated cycling infrastructure, but this must be backed by immediate investment.

Mr McCausland also states that taxis in bus lanes helps patients get to hospital appointments quicker. Not everyone travels to hospital by taxi, or can afford to, so why should taxi passengers get the privilege of using bus lanes. Not only was this trial not consulted on but it would never pass any equality assessment.

Equality

The taxi boss also claims the trial has been met with “widespread approval” – again where is his evidence? In fact, the last time this issue was consulted on by the Department in 2012, the overwhelming majority of respondents (86%) were opposed to taxis being permitted into bus lanes.

The real common sense proposal is to invest in active travel and our public transport system – that is the future. Taxis have an important role in our cities but should not have a preferential role, and certainly not over sustainable transport.

Read more on taxis in bus lanes in Belfast

Read about Sustrans influencing work in Northern Ireland 

Staff from cycling and walking charity, Sustrans are testing out new ICON bike lights that gather data about the cyclist’s journey and the road which could help improve safety.

The lights, which are the brainchild of Northern Ireland technology company, See.Sense gather information via sensors about a cyclist’s journey. For example, they can detect when a cyclist swerves or brakes suddenly and log where this happens. The data can then be used to understand the road environment which could be shared with local authorities to suggest improvements.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is running a trial of taxis using a number of bus lanes in Belfast which is of great concern to many cyclists who depend on bus lanes given the lack of dedicated cycle lanes.

As a result Sustrans staff are logging their journeys and recording any near-miss experiences they have with taxis or other vehicles in bus lanes. The See.Sense technology is enabling staff to gather more accurate data on near-misses as the lights are paired to an app on a mobile phone.

Philip McAleese, See.Sense CEO explained: “Working with Sustrans is a great way to showcase what our technology can do. We provide measured data about the cycling experience, removing the emotion and thus providing real data against which planning decisions can be made. It’s not about cars versus bikes, it’s about helping us understand how to use the limited road space most effectively.”

One of the main barriers to cycling is safety, and in particular, the perception of safety, which Sustrans works to improve through lobbying for better infrastructure and providing training to both cyclists and other road users such as lorry drivers.

Gordon Clarke, Sustrans Northern Ireland Director said: “This is fascinating new technology which has potentially lots of really useful applications and is particularly helpful with the information we are trying to gather at the moment during this trial of taxis in bus lanes.”

A total of £54,000 in savings have been made by employees who pledged to travel more actively to work as part of Sustrans Scotland’s Workplace Journey Challenge last month. 

Funded by Transport Scotland, the free month-long Challenge saw 3,059 people from 218 Scottish businesses travel in ways that benefitted their health, well-being and the environment.

Workplaces across the country competed with each other to see who could clock up the most walking, cycling, public transport and car-sharing journeys in March in a bid to win more than £2,000 worth of prizes.

And, as well as saving £53,919.6 by swapping car journey’s for more sustainable alternatives, employees saved 54,745kg in CO2 emissions and burned the equivalent of 33,744 donuts in calories. 

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Congratulations to all who took part in this year’s Scottish Workplace Journey Challenge.  It’s great to see how many people across Scotland are making smarter travel choices, and getting the health benefits from walking and cycling on their daily commute.  

“The Scottish Government will continue to invest in infrastructure and behaviour change programmes to ensure people have the widest choice possible for their everyday journeys.”

Sustrans’ Smarter Choices Workplace Coordinator, Jenny Muir said: “It’s fantastic to see how our Workplace Journey Challenge has been taken up by so many diverse organisations across the country. 

“There has been a great element of fun in the challenge. Watching people tweet their pictures of their journey to work has inspired others and of course there has been healthy competition between different companies.

“By encouraging people to make small changes to the way they get to work, we hope it will inspire them to make sustainable, long-term changes to the way they travel.”

Participants used an online platform to log their sustainable journeys and competed to climb a leader board. They had access to feedback on how many calories they’d burned and the amount of money they’d saved on each journey by choosing healthy, green and cheap alternatives to driving.

Individual challengers were judged on the number of journeys they complete while workplaces were judged on the overall rate of participation in the team.

Organisations taking part in Sustrans Scotland’s Workplace Journey Challenge included Standard Life Scotland, RBS and Scottish Power.

Magnus L from Edinburgh Leisure added: “So the challenge is over and the website won't log the miles I'm doing now, but I'm now back on my bike regardless. 

“A huge thanks to Sustrans for running this initiative, it’s given me the impetus to make a lifestyle change I'd intended to make for a while. I suspect I'd still be saying 'maybe tomorrow' if I hadn't signed up. 

“Maybe next year I won't be entering 'car' into the 'How would you normally make this journey' field.”

Winners

Congratulations to all our winners and a massive thank you to all the organisations who took part.

Find out more about the Scottish Workplace Network