Active Travel

What is active travel?

There is widespread recognition that we need to promote more active, healthier, less environmentally damaging lifestyles. Active travel (walking and cycling for everyday journeys) can deliver health, environmental, economic and social benefits, and in so doing contribute to the Scottish Government’s strategic objectives.
Why active travel?

In Scotland today:

26% of all car trips are less than 2 miles and 56% are less than 5 miles.
69% of people travel to work by car, as compared with 11.8% walking and 1.6% cycling.
In the UK passenger cars account for 12.6% of all carbon emissions.
In 2003, 64% of men and 57% of women were overweight (including obese). This represents an increase from 1995 when the figures were 57% for men and 47% for women.
A recent report for the Government predicted that 60% of us will be clinically obese by 2050. Car dependence and sedentary lifestyles are strongly implicated in these unfortunate statistics.

An active travel future for Scotland

Our preferred future:

By 2040, 54% of the population cycle and 68% walk for everyday journeys.
Pedestrians and cyclists have priority over motorists.
We live in towns and cities where our children play safely in the streets.
Our streets are places of social interaction.
Cars are marginally accommodated in residential areas
For most of us, our workplace is within walking or cycling distance of our house.
This may sound radical within a Scottish context, but much of this is already reality in some European cities.