Active travel means making your journeys in physically active ways. Choosing to walk, wheel (using a wheelchair or mobility aid), cycle or scoot for everyday short journeys, or combining these with public transport for longer trips can improve your physical, mental and social health.
Travelling sustainably also creates safer, happier and greener communities – leaving the car at home reduces our environmental impacts by tackling traffic congestion and improves air quality.
But people need encouragement, support, and guidance to change their behaviour and switch their journeys from car to sustainable modes. At Paths for All we support local communities to embrace active travel through our Smarter Choices, Smarter Place Programme.
Opting to travel actively provides a unique and valuable opportunity to connect with your local environments, and with nature. People with higher levels of nature connectedness are happier, more likely to do things to help nature and care about climate change. This strengthens our messages to audiences to opt for sustainable travel solutions.
Our key audiences include encouraging young people and families to travel in sustainable ways for local journeys to school, the workplace, for recreation or to the shops.
Below, we share two projects supported by our Open Fund. The projects are helping local families and young people to make small positive changes to their travel behaviours, stay active and contribute to Scotland’s commitment to net zero emissions target by 2045.
ArtCycle: Wheels of Change
Based in the Forth Valley area - chiefly Falkirk and Stirling - this project funded in 21/22 engaged young families (including children and adults between 12 to 45 years) in conversations about what climate change means to them. Participants were provided the opportunity to share valuable insight and data about their current travel habits around cycling, and how they might increase cycling in their personal lives.
With involvement from families in Edinburgh and East Lothian, the project will seek feedback from over 8,000 people in total.
The Forth Valley Art Beat project also facilitates conversations and connections with local people through ‘craftivism’ projects (where craft meets activism) and a series of led cycle rides to raise climate change awareness and encourage action.
You can find out more about Forth Valley Art Beat, here.
Sustainable TRansport in Dundee East -2 (STRIDE -2)
The STRIDE -2 project, now into its second year of SCSP funding, is managed by East Dundee Environment Network (EDEN). The project works with young people and families in east Dundee communities, including Douglas, Whitfield, Fintry, Linlathen, Kirkton, Mill O’ Mains and Mid Craigie to reduce car use for shorter local journeys, and encourage the use of local paths for travel and recreation.
These communities are currently in the lowest 5 to 10% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and most adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The project engages five schools, eight local groups and volunteers that work with families all located within a short distance of the Dighty Burn, a well-known 20 kilometre (12 mile) long stream that flows through the north and east of Dundee. During the pandemic, the project identified an increase in the number of families using these local paths for exercise and recreation and hope to keep this momentum going.
The project also seeks to encourage a positive change in travel behaviours amongst families using cars for short local journeys to learn about, use and enjoy a network of local paths. This includes transforming and maintaining the entrances from these communities to ensure the footpaths are visible and attractive in a bid to encourage increased local active travel.
With support from Transport Scotland, Our Open Fund has now entered its fifth year. In 2022/23 the Open Fund will award £5Million to public, voluntary and third sector organisations leading ambitious projects designed to encourage and promote active travel in local communities.
To find out more about how our Open Fund can support your active travel projects in local communities, click here.