Explore active travel’s essential part in the planning application process that needs to be embedded within the development of area strategies and masterplans, Active Travel England’s guidance and requirements and examples of best practice and implementation.
Audience: Local government professionals and their delivery partners involved in housing and regeneration strategy, planning and delivery.
Good morning welcome to the active travel session uh thank you for joining us this morning I can see people gradually coming in through the lbby can see the numbers going up so I’m delighted to welcome you to our winter learning program this program offers a series of knowledge sharing events on
Topics which you have told us you are particularly interested in today’s event is a particularly pertinent topic which affects all of us active travel this winter learning program is brought to you by homes England’s local government capacity Center this slide summarizes who the local government capacity Center are and our
Mission we establish a center following extensive research and consultation with you across local government and with a whole range of other partners to determine where authorities most need support and how this can best be delivered the learning program is just one of the tools offered by the local government capacity Center next slide
Please our offers include the housing information Hub an index of professional housing resources accessible via gov.uk fact sheets to support local authorities with the case for Housing Development and regeneration and a capacity analysis tool which you can use to assess capacity on the screen you will see a
Breakdown at the session day we will be finishing with a Q&A session with all our speakers I will then be drawing the session to a close with some further polls to get some immediate feedback on the session and your ideas for future sessions I’m now going to hand you over
To our first presenter Andy o from pal frishman thank you Andy thanks Abigail uh good morning everybody um if we could just go on to the next slide thanks brilliant so um just to give a quick outline of what I’m going to be talking about today um I’ll start off
With a quick introduction to myself and pal frishman as an organization um and then based on the experiences that we’ve gained from uh developing active travel schemes and uh uh designing schemes just going to run through some of the context and background to travel um I’m sure
Everybody has some grasp of of what active travel is but we’ll just run through that to make sure everybody’s really clear on it and then uh for the the main part of of my presentation I’m going to go through some of the challenges and opportunities uh that we
Found from the work that we’ve been doing picking up on some some lessons learned uh along the way so uh next slide please so uh I am a technical director at the transport and highways Consultants pal frishman so pal frishman are multi-disciplinary Consultants um I’m based in our Manchester office and I
Look after the transport planning uh part of of our organization in the Northwest and North Wales um I’m the active travel technical Champion across the business here and um as an organization but also personally we are really really passionate about active travel um we are practitioners and we we
Do our work really really on on the basis that we want to achieve um a tangible benefit from what we do um in terms of our background uh pels have been uh developing active travel schemes for for a number of years uh we’ve got what we think are four of the
Largest active travel schemes in the UK at the moment so significant experience in developing uh from feasibility stage all the way through to to detailed design uh um we also include uh uh active travel mode appraisal and Advising clients on how active travel can be incorporated into new developments next slide
Please so I just wanted to start off um and this might might be uh a known ground for for for a number of people here but just really to clarify what active travel actually is um so active travel consists of a number of different modes uh we have walking uh cycling and
What we refer to as as Wheeling so Wheeling can be a number of different types of of travel um uh scooters uh for children uh for form a significant part of that um Lessa bled users uh wheelchair users Mobility Scooter users all form part of that that Wheeling
Mix um some people have very very uh different views as to whether es scooters form part of the ACT travel mix strictly speaking they’re not uh an active mode but they are certainly uh an opportunity to encourage people to potentially shift away from travel by by motor vehicle and then sometimes depending on
Locations um equestrian uses can can form part of that mix as well but as you can probably see um I’ve I’ve emphasized walking there um walking is the most accessible form of active travel um most people uh have have immediate access to being able to walk uh cycling obviously
Requires a bike whereas walking uh is is something that is is is very very accessible to most people um so the hierarchy of active travel possibly sits with with walking at the top there um next slide please so just in terms of some background um active travel can
Achieve huge benefits in uh health environmental uh improvements improvements to well-being and and mental uh health and then perhaps critically in terms of the the traffic and highways perspective it can really contribute to congestion reduction through a means of uh encouraging people to to travel by nonar
Modes um significant amount of money has been invested in this country into active travel uh between 2016 and 2021 that was in the region of3 billion pound um the majority of that has gone into infrastructure but that spend isn’t just focused on building new schemes there’s also a significant amount of investment
Directed in towards um areas such as behavioral change um encouraging people to adapt and and adjust uh what what they do and how they travel so it’s a very very very uh heavily targeted area um the department for transport I have identified that for approximately every pound that is invested in active travel
It will achieve around about4 pounds in in benefit so as a benefit to cost ratio active travel can really really achieve very very high levels typically for for a highway scheme uh which is Road oriented the BCR for that would typically be about a two pound return on
On every one pound spent so certainly in terms of those benefits act to travel can achieve it it really really can take a lot of those boxes uh next slide please um so some uh research by sustrans uh in 2022 um identified that the active travel uh mix
Is worth uh around about 36 billion pounds to the UK economy um so that comes from direct uh benefits so that will be the reductions in uh costs and cost burden to the NHS as a result of improved Health levels um but then we also see slightly indirect benefits as
Well so that same study identified that active travel users are are dwelling a lot longer in some of our town centers and high streets and certainly when you compare that to to vehicle-based uh Shoppers vehicle-based Vis visitors there there is a much longer dwell time associated with AC to travel users and
So therefore that greater dwell time um will then equate to to to Greater benefit for for those High streets um I included a quick snapshot uh there of an article that the AA produced and we’re now therefore even starting to to see some of those uh vehicle oriented
Groups starting to promote active travel as a means of actually benefiting all users but also potentially benefiting vehicle users as well so next slide please so some of the challenges to to active travel take up are are perhaps quite quite quite obvious and quite pronounced um one of the key barriers is
Is that both perceived and real safety of cycling and walking on particularly some of the busier routes uh around cities and towns um that is one of the key barriers it’s one of the key reasons why people might still be a little bit hesitant about about cycling and walking
And and wheeling and indeed there the the Nao identified in in 2021 there was still quite a significant amount of people who were being deterred from from active travel by by by safety perceptions uh next slide please um some of the uh the key more recent legislative changes in terms of active
Travel that have been really really important um in 202 uh2 the highway code was updated it contained some very very important um changes to really promote cycling uh and walking um some of those related to how vehicles and cyclists interact at Junctions um and some of them encouraged uh a slight uh slightly
Different approach to where cyclists position themselves in the carriageway um and one of those really kind of pushes that that focus of cyclist adopting What’s called the primary position on on the road so that’s where they should uh cycle slightly further into the carriageway than than perhaps has been been traditionally The View
Um another key aspect there was also um about that that desire and that aspiration to to improve uh pedestrian priority at side roads um and the current Highway code really pushes that that priority to pedestrians at such Junctions so uh in theory according to the H code Vehicles should stop and give
Way to to pedestrians who who are crossing at side roads now the practicality and the reality of that possibly will take a little bit of time to to fully percolate through but this type of legis legislative change really does just set set the scene for for aspirations uh next slide
Please um so one of the other very very key changes recently is that of the creation of active travel England as the organization to overy uh active travel development and active travel rollout I won’t dwell too much on on at uh we’ve got Helen and Ellen who will be taking
The the second part of this presentation um they’ll provide a little bit more uh information about at but as an organization being established with their sole Focus to to uh to oversee active travel scheme development that was quite a significant step change there um and then alongside uh active
Travel England uh we’ve seen various policy changes various strategies coming forward uh the gear change uh document from the Department of Transport really sets the scene set sets the agenda for aspirations for active travel and then that was accompanied by uh the document LTM 120 which is the the green covered
Document on the right right hand side of the screen there so that really is is a key document uh that that pushes higher level of of of aspiration for active travel uh scheme infrastructure uh next slide please so just focusing on that document uh LTM 120 uh so that stands for local
Transport note 120 uh that was launched in July 2020 um it really brought together a number of Exemplar best practice schemes from around the UK and use those to form a set of guidance and a set of parameters that as active travel practitioners we aspire to work towards and and we try
And uh use as basis for developing our scheme it really just formalize what might have already existed um and so it is an absolutely key document in in in the type of work we do I would recommend if uh as as Professionals in in in the
Sphere if you’ve not had a look at lm120 it’s it’s very very much wor worth a look um it gives a very very clear indication of of the intent and the aspiration in terms of active travel um scheme development so whil is a very very good document it’s probably also being aware
That there are some limitations of LTM 1220 um it’s very much developed on the basis of being focused on some of the bigger metropolitan areas so that transfer to maybe smaller Market towns smaller historic uh locations can be challenging at times um whil you know London clearly
Has has gr gradients around uh the locality and that there are places that are are quite challenging in terms of Hills LT 1220 doesn’t quite uh grasp um the the challenge of gradients in some of the more um non-london locations we’re doing a significant amount of work up in Cumbria at the
Moment and clearly gradients up there are one of the key barriers to to cycling so gradients can can prove to be a challenge um and then obviously uh the document as you can see on the screen is entitled cycle infrastructure design but it is predominantly active travel
Oriented and it could be suggested that lt120 does give a slight uh slight element of a focus on cycling overw walking and really I think walking should be the primary focus of active travel with with cycling coming coming after that next slide please so just to run through some of the terminology and
Some of the types of infrastructure that the LTM 20 uh uh promotes um so fundamentally what LTM 1220 seeks to do is to separate uh pedestrians from cyclists and cyclists from from vehicle traffic um the key way that we we we often see that being done is uh by the
Provision of segregated cycle infrastructure so in this instance we have a separate pedestrian footway uh and then we have that segregated cycle track um which in the instance on the screen there is a curb segregation so there is that curb located between the cycle track and the carriageway to
Provide that element of protection to cyclists um the element uh the example you can see on the screen here is of bidirectional so that’s where we have a single cycle track catering for both directions of travel next slide please and then the equivalent of that is unidirectional so exactly the same
Concept of segregation but with the single direction of cycle travel uh to the uh side of the road in question next slide please okay thank you um so uh quiet streets then is a means of creating environments that are more conducive to cycling walking these will typically be
Roots that have been identified to avoid uh busier more constrained uh traffic corridors and the premise of quite streets is that they are located on uh lightly traffic corridors um which are often uh supplemented with a 20 M hour speed limit uh and as I mentioned the
Whole aspiration here is to make an environment that’s more walking and cycling friendly um the key LTM 1220 threshold for quiet streets is less than 2 and a half thousand vehicle movements a day so what we often find is that some locations which we think might be
Suitable as a quiet street actually when we drill down into looking at traffic flow data they they they exceed that level and that two and a half thousand daily flow is the level at which uh researchers suggested uh cyclists stop feeling comfortable cycling on Carriage Way mixed in the traffic so below that
Level there’s there’s there’s a general view that that that there’s the greater perception of safety and actual safety uh next slide please um so another uh type of of infrastructure is that of shared cycle footway um and this is often used where there isn’t the the width um or there
Are other constraints to achieve segregation there number of different types of shared cycle footway um we’ve got a few examples on the screen there so upper left is uh often found in Parkland and more rural areas where there is quite quite a lot of width and attempts have been made to provide some
Delineation between The Pedestrian side and the cycle side but there is no no real segregation there um top right is an image that we often see along environments like the national cycle Network um in the Northwest we’ve got a corridor very much like that called the trans penine Trail
And typically that’s down uh dissu Railway corridors where there is a a sealed surface and in that environment pedestrians and cycl share share the pathway but there is an expectation that cyclists will modify their speed and and their behavior where they encounter pedestrians and then the final example
Uh lower Center is one that you probably see more often in uh suburban and urban areas and that’s where there is an overly wide footway which is designated for use by cyclists and pedestrians next slide please um so just briefly I I also wanted to touch on on Crossings uh
That’s obviously a key part of of active travel um scheme implementation whil a lot of AC Travel corridors do run along a linear basis in very very very uh uh numerous instances we we find active travel routes have to cross uh uh key highways there are a
Number of ways of doing this um the more traditional type for pedestrian Crossings was the the Pelican so that’s the signal controlled Crossing where pedestrians press a button to to call the The Pedestrian stage in more recent times that is evolved into a slightly more sophisticated Crossing uh which is
A puffin Crossing so that stands for pedestrian user friendly intelligent Crossing and so in that instance the uh the signals can detect whether there are pedestrians there and they can modify the timings accordingly uh next question sorry next slide sorry thanks um and then uh in the the very
Much more recent time we have seen the roll out of two con Crossings and so this is where pedestrians and cyclists share that signal control Crossing so it’s a slightly wider Crossing to provide a little bit more space for for the two to inter interact and the tcen
Element is is effectively two can cross at the same time so there is very much a a bird oriented theme in terms of pedestrian Crossings um and so T to can in in in that respect references the two two modes of active travel we then also see uh a lot of
Zebra based Crossings as well so the example I’ve shown on screen there is one that uh We’ve designed for a location up in Barrow in Cumbria and what we have there is a segregated uh Crossing so the zebra is for pedestrians and then to the right hand side we can
See the Crossing for cyclists as well uh so on to the next slide please uh and so yes one one of the comments just just pinged up there um Pegasus Crossings uh are are used in for equestrian purposes so that’s where there is a it’s fundamentally the same controlled Crossing Arrangement but
There is a high mounted uh push button uh to cat for people on on horses um we’re also now seeing a lot more of SP AR Crossings and Sparrow Crossings are signal controlled parallel Crossings where cyclists are segregated from uh pedestrians so the example you
Can see here is is just near as in Stockport where we have the cycle Crossing uh signal controlled with dedicated cycle uh push buttons and signals um and then off to the right uh you can see The Pedestrian Crossing element as well uh next slide please um so Sparrow Crossings are becoming uh
More and more prevalent now um uh we were fortunate enough to be able to design the first Sparrow Crossing in the UK which was uh over in Stockport um so as you can see on on the image there this uh is a Crossing which uh takes an active travel Corridor over
A busy road um as I mentioned this was the first in the UK and it has subsequently been been uh successful in a number of uh Awards um next slide please so we have another image of of that Sparrow Crossing and how it looks just just to give a feel for that and
Next slide and that’s that’s the same Crossing but looking at it from the uh the cycle track perspective and next slide please so uh We’ve touched on Crossings um another key type of of infrastructure uh is that of dealing with Junctions um and we’re seeing more and more Cyclops um configurations coming
Out now in act to travel design so Cyclops is a signal optimized protected signal Junction and so as you can see on the on the image on the left hand side there we have the cycle provision in green uh and The Pedestrian provision in the uh the buff orange colored uh
Crossings so the aspiration here is really to to to separate pedestrians cyclists but give cyclists the means of transitioning across the entire Junction in one green signal um so it’s a concept which is as I mentioned becoming more more and more commonplace uh very much championed in Greater Manchester and transport for
Greater Manchester our local uh public transport body have really been been pushing the the uh the implementation of of this type of of Junction Crossing next slide please so uh I touched on Sparrow Crossings earlier on um won’t go into uh much more detail on those but um as I
Mentioned when when we first designed the the Gil gilb Road scheme it was very much uh the first of its type uh early early instuction they’re now becoming much more common um and we’re starting to see them across much of the country uh next slide please so I just
Wanted to touch on some of the particular challenges that we we we as practitioners tend to find in terms of active travel implementation um so I mentioned earlier on LTM 1220 really does does just set the standard for for high aspiration in terms of active travel
Provision um but we often find there can be a very very difficult uh balance to achieve between meeting that aspiration but also developing schemes which can be deliverable um and if not deliverable then then can they be uh accepted by uh the public or by by local politicians that deliverability covers a
Number of aspects so uh we can find locations where it’s very difficult to meet the requirements of LTM 1220 because of various constraints um quite often in developing an lm120 compliance scheme we result in in quite a significant cost which then when we take that through the appraisal
Process doesn’t meet the required levels of benefit to cost um and political uh deliverability can can can be a key challenge um on the right hand side I’ve I’ve just screen grabbed a few uh headlines from from articles and I’m sure we’ve we’ve all seen examples on on local news and in
Local media where active travel schemes have have been pulled as a result of of local opposition um whether perceptions of of unfair impacts on on street parking impacts on Highway capacity but those type of technical elements can can often be very very problematic and I’ve mentioned in the
Bullet points there um on street parking and potential impact on that is one of the most controversial elements that that we come across in in the schemes that we develop um for terorist houses where there is no opportunity for off street parking it can be very very
Difficult to to find ways of of of roviding parking that can often be a very very much of a showstopper in act active travel schemes but in more Suburban locations where the houses have off- street parking there can still be quite a vifer push back against loss of of of on street parking
Spaces similarly uh loss of loading and servicing provision um Can can also be very challenging to to accommodate and rovide and then uh as recent examples in Sheffield have have identified quite understand understandably there that can be quite quite um quite sensitive opposition to to removal of of Highway
Trees and certainly as as as a practice we try and avoid uh losing Highway trees where wherever possible um our clients in Cumbria very much operate on on the basis of of of of a on to four replacement so where a highway tree is lost they will seek to to to to rovide
For for trees elsewhere um the bullets at the bottom there I’ve I’ve emphasized walking again um but I I think sometimes the focus can very much be on cycling as as as the key key element of active travel um cycling can be the more fashionable the more attention grabbing uh aspect but um
Walking can can really be improved we can see some significant benefits in Fairly fairly low low low scale pedestrian Improv movements um they don’t tend to uh draw the same amount of of reaction as as cycle schemes do because potentially of that that that lesser impact um but with walking come
Come equal challenges um pavement parking can be a real problem in terms of um uh developing improvements to to pedestrian provision we’ve seen um Scotland and in particular Edinburgh grasp that that very very difficult uh nettle of of um uh criminalizing pavement parking and and that will that will shortly be
Enforced um so that that’s a real challenge EV charging informally can be very very difficult as well where where people particularly in Terrace houses are are running charging cables across the footway that that can really really cause problems and one of the emerging areas that we’re seeing um is that of a
Potential conflict between cyclists and and pedestrian um particularly coming out of London where there is a lot of segregated cycle tracks uh we’re seeing uh uh disability groups uh the Royal uh Institute for for blind users are starting to raise concerns over the severance effect that those segregated tracks are causing for
Uh blind users visually impaired users and less abled users who find it difficult to step into the cycle track and then step over the curb segregation and in in theory for those users they are then being channeled to the formal Crossing points at the end of those type
Of corridors but that that can be quite quite quite impactful uh next slide please um so we really really encourage with active travel scheme development that that there is an absolute Central need to understand the locations that we’re developing schemes in that we’re looking to introduce provision uh
To absolutely key to understand the character of the area um I’ve touched on the difficulties of active travel scheme introduction in in historic Market towns for instance um we we’re developing schemes in Kendall and in penrith um and Ramsbottom over and go to Manchester the highway environment the cross-sections
There are really really challenging and bringing in that that LTM 1220 compliance can can be quite quite uh quite difficult um but it’s absolutely key to understand the alties that you’re developing uh active travel provision in from both pedestrian and cycle perspective um trying to understand the the requirements of of the
Users um DFT have suggested there is going to be some specific guidance coming forward uh in the short term for active travel schemes in those more rural uh and historic locations so that will be really really interesting to see if if that does present some slight relaxation of of the standards and and
That there is an argument that dropping below LTM 120 standards and achieving something is better than not being able to to to achieve anything um time scales and the resulting uncertainties can be a very very very significant challenge um as soon as we need to bring in legal
Aspects legal support for for ACT travel schemes whether that’s bringing in traffic regulation orders or changing particularly loading and servicing requirements uh that can be very very time consuming it can be very very uh uh lengthy in terms of programs the loading and servicing issue is is a key one if
Uh as a scheme we’re proposing removing a a formal loading Bay in most places that will require a public inquiry to to to to take that through the the legislative process so that brings in a very very long time scale uh uncertainty in terms of how long it will take or
Indeed if uh the the decision by the inspector will will will be favorable um using public rights of way as well can also be very very complicated um a number of public rights of way are designated as foot paaths only so therefore bringing cycling in into those environments requires a legal
Change to the designation of of those corridors um we we’ve actually discovered on some of our working cumber of that um a large part of the ncn network isn’t actually legally uh designated for cycle use so so that’s that’s a a very very particular challenge uh next slide
Please um and then one of the other challenges is of the approach that access travel practitioners need to take um and and this is a message that I I I really do do do hammer home quite a lot um as active travel practitioners and developing actual travel schemes we
Shouldn’t be designing for confident and competent cyclists we should be designing our infrastructure and our schemes to encourage cycling and to enable cycling and one of the key tests that that we should all be using in in our field is that of the the ability for
The 12 the 13 the 14 year old uh School child uh pupils to feel comfortable and safe in in that environment um and this whole function of of purpose and use of of of active travel provision particularly cycling as well I think is something that’s that’s evolving very much um traditionally
Active travel schemes have tended to focus on the commuting side of of cycling whereas actually more recent data is suggesting that there is just as much use for non-commuting uh elements of cycling so uh trips to and from school uh recreational use uh retail related trips so arguably there is a
Need to potentially modify this Focus away from from from from being very much oriented to to commuting um and one often uh we we often see from a commuting perspective um that there does seem to be a focus on trying to commute as fast as as as
Possible um so we often see on some cycle provision people going quite quickly um and I often cite examples from our friends over over on the continents you’ll see the images of of cycling in places like Copenhagen and and and uh Dutch examples but there’s very much slower environment for
Cyclists and it’s not quite as as oriented on on speed uh next slide please excuse me um one of the other aspects that I I think is really important and and I think I I saw a couple of questions come up about this um is that of how we Market active
Travel schemes an active travel provision and the whole movement of of active travel and traditionally these images have been what we’ve seen on uh local cycling walking infrastructure plans um different websites encouraging cycling and this links back to my my previous point about purpose and use and that these are all um typically
Middle-aged men wearing lyer on uh expensive looking racing bikes and I would argue at the moment that is really the last thing that we should be promoting and if we can go on to the next slide please and I think this imagery is very much what we should be
Pushing as the active travel um uh marketing the active travel branding um a number of the examples that I’ve included here are from the greater Manchester uh active travel guide and the active travel team there are very very keen as well to push this example of families cycling of people cycling
Without necessarily needing needing to wear Lyra without having the the expensive racing bikes um I’m not going to touch on on the whole uh helmets against non-h helmets I know that’s an incredibly diversive and and uh hotly discussed topic but just from an imagery you know from from that that that
General perspective this is really what what what we should be showing uh next slide please and and yes that that point about cargo bikes and trikes absolutely um you know it’s it’s not just about uh individual cycling it’s about encouraging that family perspective that utility trip perspective as well
So um so that was the uh end end of my my set of slides um obviously you’ve been asking questions we’ll we’ll come back to answering some of those questions at the end but I’m now going to hand over to Helen and Ellen from active travel England
And they’re going to to talk about at and and the function it fulfills but thank you very much very much for that Andy much appreciated um can you move on to our first slide please thank you very much so my name is Helen Ledger I’m one of the planning
Casew workk officers at at so I’ve been in post approaching a year and my presentations about our experience so far since we became a statutary consult te on the 1 of June last year I’ll then hand over to Ellen Dugas Douglas my colleague and she’ll inform you about
What the planning policy team at at have been working on next slide please you so just briefly who are we well we’re an executive agency of the Department of Transport um we’ve we were set up alongside uh the gear change document which Andy’s referred to um in July
2020 what I would emphasize about gear change is that it really is a fundamental shift and focus and the government were absolutely clear in that document that we should be planning for a modal shift to active modes by 50% in urban areas so that means in urban areas
People 50% of people should be able to walk wheel and cycle to their destinations as Andy’s also extensively mentioned local transport note one of 20 Cycle infrastructure design was launched at the same time absolutely fundamental absolutely a GameChanger um planning um colleagues on the call I would emphasize
That there is chapter 14 which explicitly covers cycle infrastructure design and planning for growth and highways improvements so those are your um you know new residential allocations for instance so there is a section on that about how to plan for that how to strategize for that another key document
That I look at in a very regular basis which links to what Andy was saying about about walking is inclusive Mobility that was published um shortly afterwards as well so that’s about um making um infrastructure for those with Mobility impairments next slide please our vision really simple um really really clear for
Everybody to have that attractive and safe choice to walk wheel and cycle so active travel includes walking wheeling and cycling which which Andy’s covered nicely in terms of what Wheeling is but I think that’s just a really Clear Vision and sets the tone for our whole organization next slide
Please how are we going to do that how are we going to deliver that that 50% change obviously we need active travel modes to be at the heart of decision making um and the first and Natural Choice for Journeys so that’s about Urban Design it’s about Highway infrastructure it’s about um and making
That first step um in order to deliver that um at became a staty consult te in the planning process on the 1 of June last year so we’re aiming to secure high quality um active travel provision across the um where we could influence developments over that that consultation threshold we’ve provided guide guidance
About how that can be provided and then as Ellen will go on to expand clearly there’s a role for local Authority planning um policies and processes in that next slide please how are we set up so we have an investment arm which um is about delivering investment on the
Ground whether that be Behavior change we have our inspections team so they’re the design and Technical expertise there um in terms of implementing good quality active travel infrastructure that’s funding our own infrastructure um across England clearly data intelligence is very very important so we have our own data and digital team um collecting
Evidence important for planners is obviously the geographical elements of that the geographical mapping information that we can then utilize in our planning responses then we have the planning and development directorate where I sit um but crucial to that because we’re a hall of England organization based in York we do need
Some Regional contact on the ground so we have a regional team we have a member of Staff in each of the regions across the country who are meant who are there to be our eyes and ears on the ground to make links with local planning authorities and local highways
Authorities so that’s how we’re structured next slide please just to um emphasize when to consult us so on the 1 of June we became a St a new statutory consulty in the planning system so that means that local planning authorities must consult us for applications of 150
Residential units or more 7 a half thousand um square meters of floor space and on SES of five hectares or more obviously we’ve got a um a dedicated planning applications inbox which is there and will also be on our final slide next slide please the planning and development
Directorate so how are we set up at the moment we have just nine members of staff to respond to those statutory consultations um across the whole of England so it is a little bit of a challenge um but we come from a um a good mixed background of traditional t
And Country planning um a few of us with statut consulty experience already um a few of us with um development management experience in a local Authority and then um we have a colleague that’s worked um in the development management team for highways Authority we’re supported in
Turn by um three technical staff so they administer the planning consultations coming in and then also send out responses to local planning authorities in order to support us in the technical aspects of assessing planning applications we OB pull on support from our inspectorate colleagues on those very technical issues um of
Schemes and then we we’re continuing to work close with the regional team to develop an understanding of local issues um and uh give us uh foresight and um information about big schemes happening across the country and where we should focus ourselves next slide please what
Did we do before the 1 of June to set ourselves up um so we were planning for um a consultation um of around 3,000 planning applications a year so that’s based on experience of other similar size St consulties and so that’s what we we um uh we’re we’re basing our our um
Team on um but naturally there’s only nine of us at the moment so we have to focus where we’re going to make the most impact we have to recognize that London actually has been in the active travel um Sphere for a long time um and have a really well established set of
Principles and practice um with Transport for London so we have a light touch approach in London we’ve developed the standing advice pack we recognized that we can’t comment on absolutely every application so that is out there to outline all the policy Hooks and criteria and how to assess
Planning applications and what to look for we’ve also developed development management procedure notes so that advises um loal planning authorities what to expect from at what what um how we will work and and interesting um PO is on time scale scales and what to expect from us um and then how to assess
Planning applications uh a long time in development and under much trial we developed a planning applications assessment tool kit which is currently a Excel spreadsheet of about 32 criteria on how to assess all types of applications outline Reserve matters full um a pick list if you will um and
Sets out some of the the key starting points for assessing planning applications that’s available publicly it’s on our website so that you know the idea is that not only will um the planning team at at use it but actually should be open for developers and local planning authorities and planning policy
Teams for instance to assess sites so we published those in the summer before we became a statutary consult te but GI we were brand new in this field brand new team we did review that after six after three months and actually we’re continuing to review that um going
Forward I’ll set out more details at the end of this presentation about things to expect on that next slide please in terms of our consultation requests by region it’s probably interesting to note that we’ve had um just over a thousand consultations so far sent to us unsurprisingly the focus is is the
Southeast and the east of England in terms of numbers but we’ve got a fair spread across the country so that’s just for general information next slide so what have we found since the 1 of June new team we’ve we’ve found that clearly um when we get consultations on planning
Applications some of these sites and these proposals will have been around for for many years been through various R reiterations um have had probably extensive preap so there’s some that that are harder to influence than others um obviously the reserve matter stage is is slightly trickier so we’ve had to
Think carefully about how we position ourselves how we Safeguard those active travel corridors through development and get the best outcome possible and then the polar opposite to that really is that when we get consulted on sometimes very very large planning applications in terms of size and scale with all matters
Reserved so we haven’t even got access to go on um so we really have to kind of think creatively about how we can embed active travel at the absolute outset of those sites going forward and then there’s a variance across the country in terms of policy and strategy and
Evidence base some areas have really good local policy to support active travel in their local plans and their development plans and some areas have local walking and cycling infrastructure plans you know vital for setting out the strategy for for active travel but many places across the country
Don’t um I’m going to go on to talk about series of case studies which pick up some of the themes that we’ve we’ve dealt with so far so the barrier of an a road cycle parking are we always getting the right number is it always in the
Right location and then linked to what Andy was saying earlier about shared youth paths and and issues like that and then the uh conundrum of the road safety it next slide please okay so case study number one I have to say that all these case studies happen to come from the
West Midlands this does not indicate that the West Midlands in any way shape or form is bad for active travel um it just um they just highlighted some key points that I wanted to get across today so it’s the fact they’re all in the same region is is not indicative of anything
In particular so this is a site outside the edge of hinley you can see there to the um Northeast of nonan separated by the A5 um the red line is another a road so that’s the a47 as it goes around the north of hinley so this really is um you
Know kind of quite common for us we’re seeing large residential um applications on the edge of town which look like a really good sustainable location for a large scale growth but actually immediately have an active travel barrier in terms of the a road so how do
We get people across that a a road um to access transport nodes secondary schools Etc so that is a real challenge although I mean this was one phase of a much larger scheme so the the other phases included a local Center a primary school um and and other dwellings Etc so there
Are and there would be facilities within that phase but you have to acknowledge that the secondary school established primary schools the large Supermarket the town center and the rail station all have to cross that a47 so it does represent a challenge what happened with application uh application so slide um
Next slide please so so what happened so we had as I say um tried to get into connectivity with all the other phases of development so that we got those corridors for walking wheeling and cycling throughout the other phases trying to make sure that the layout and
The road layout joined up so that people could easily navigate without having to go along the aoad um one of the things one of the points we made in the um transport assessment was that actually they hadn’t considered cycling Journeys to nonan at all which is a high higher order
Settlement with a bigger range of facilities and obviously greater employment opportunities um cyclist can obviously travel a lot further than um a walker and a Wheeler and the transport assessment had had ignored that in the um in their assessment which we thought was disappointing we did receive Rive
Revised plans with tweaks to the layout um the highways Authority supported us in terms of reducing speeds trying to reduce speeds of of vehic Les through the um through the estate which obviously creates a more attractive active travel environment um we’ve succeeded in getting and links to the shared use path
Um for Walkers and cyclists which exists along the a47 um now so we can get that in with good service Sur surfacing connections to that shared use path and then you know kind of similar to what Andy said you know the conundrum that we might get those links in there but do
They always meet the the the actual um real um technical requirements of ltn 1220 um I think somebody’s already commented in the chat about surfacing surfacing is absolutely important um you know kind of Unbound un weatherproof surfaces for wheelers and cyclists are just not going to last very long at all
Become overgrown and be an ongoing maintenance problem so that’s that’s something we’re very live um and aware of now next slide please P study two Birmingham city council so this is a mix of student accommodation to rent um in a series of four apartment blocks with commercial floor space on the ground
Floor so again this is very typical we’re getting you know we’ve hired a lot of applications for new um student um and mixed use development in City centers what’s great about Birmingham is that there is um an LC whip there’s a good local walking and cycling infrastructure plan up to date the city
Council has invested in um key transport corridors for retive travel which is brilliant um and they have a really strong local policy um supplementary planning document on local on parking which explicitly covers cycle parking as well what was great about this was the transport assessment promoted a really
Strong modal share for active travel very close to 50% which is where we should all be aiming for under gear change so that was fantastic so through our intervention on this site we’ve increased cycled parking to where it should be so to comply with local policy we’ve got over 900 spaces
Wellc um to support that development moving on to the next case study next slide please so case study three um so you can see that this um scheme in Bronze Grove um 149 dwellings just under our statutary threshold but we actually you know intervened and wanted a consultation on this because we
Saw it part phase one of a very much larger scheme uh was going to include in The Wider scheme you know the mix of uses you’d expect retail education Community facilities so we saw this as a real opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the phases of the allocated land
Again we had strong local policies we also used um manual for streets which we haven’t talked about in this presentation yet but again another crucial document in terms of um establishing active travel and active travel around residential growth as well in particular um LT 120 obviously and gear
Change so those key documents talk about physical segregation of space within the highway to separate out walking and Wheeling from cycling gear change is is um very clear that cyclists should be considered as as Vehicles they should be placed in the highway and you shouldn’t shouldn’t be on en llarge foot paths for
Instance um so that was fundamental to our response here when the scheme was first presented to us we had a shared use path so pedestrians wheelers and cyclists all on one very large foot path um to the north of the access road there on the plan to the Northeast where it
Joins the main a road um we pointed out again that segregation was really important we managed to negotiate a two-way cycle path um on the north of the access point and we we received um revised plans to that extent unfortunately the local Highway Authority weren’t happy with that design
And that layout obviously the um bidirectional Cycle Way been retrofitted into plans that have been well Advanced the local high Authority felt that where the two-way cycle path met the a-road cyclists would then have to join a share path and there would be no a more compromised route for pedestrians
Who’d have to use private drives for instance to continue their lines of of access along the desire lines so it proved um uh not supported by the highway Authority we then um amended our scheme and managed to get a segregated cycle path to the south of the access
Route um which was slightly compromised in terms of width but actually because it included segregation an element of buffer between uh Walkers and wheelers and cyclists this was this was a good outcome um and the highway Authority were happy which is fantastic however Along Came the road safety audit they
Didn’t like it they felt that segregation didn’t allow the space um to benefit all users sufficiently and actually they felt a much larger shared use path would be better um it meant for them that it would reduce conflicts between workers wheelers and cyclists because there was a much wider more open
Space people had um space to um overtake um and slower moving push people with push chairs or people in mobility scooters you know could um be overtaken in this much wider and the space itself became a buffer is what they were saying so very frustrating uh from our perspective but
We had to position ourselves you know around the road safety audit and we put it to the local planning Authority that whilst we didn’t feel that road safety audit recognized the policy and the infrastructure um design guidance in those those three documents there on the
Slide we’ put it to them that it was their decision to make and because we were quite late into the process and obviously the the layout Etc we hadn’t been able to INF influence we put it to local Authority that we wouldn’t maintain our objection but actually um
It was their decision to make and we we set out the um the policy background for that so next slide please so just a a quick slide as I think um Andy’s spelled this out really well in his presentation as well um you know just to hammer home that final case
Study so these are the key differences really we’ve got a segregated route on the left which is taken a photograph taken from ltn 120 and in London um again that very Urban environment that I know people have been pointing out the um conflict with more Rural and Suburban
But nevertheless that’s you know that’s one example of a segregated route so you’ve got a clear space for Walkers and wheelers on one side you’ve got got um hard and soft landscaping and a buffer separating that from cyclists cyclists is then part of the highway but then
They’ve got some um buffer between them and uh the um quick and moving traffic um on the main road there and then this is a photo I’ve taken not not far from where I live um this is a more Suburban rural location um but you can see clearly there’s a compromise there’s an
Enlarged footway which is probably just about large enough but I include this photo really to talk about the compromises that this then covers so you can see a pillar box post box there you can see bins in the way you can see that the the road itself is having some um
Temporary Highway Works to it so um the temporary traffic sign has been placed on the shared use path there’s limited if any denot uh denoi of um uh which bit the cyclist should be on on which The Walker should be on there’s a bus stop further in the background as well
So it really does just highlight the compromises of a shared use path um and what I would emphasize about gear change is that we should be planning for that uplift in active travel modes that 50% um in urban areas might not be achievable in perhaps more rural ones
But we certainly should be aiming for really strong modal shift and we should be planning for that in our infrastructure so in some cases sheru’s pass might still will be acceptable kind of on those outlying areas along busy fast moving a roads where pedestrians are less likely to be and you might get
More commuting cycling for instance but actually in towns and cities don’t serve every user well certainly somebody with a Mobility with a visual impairment they certainly find them really hard to navigate okay next slide please where do we want to go to final sign from me what are we doing so we’ve
Been in this place about eight months now we’re still learning we’re still a new team um so we’re reviewing our to toolkit as I said um originally established as 32 criteria we’re trying to get that down to under 20 closer to the 10 Mark so that we can use it far
More quickly far more efficiently and hopefully get the um take up of the private sector of applicants of developers of local planning authorities we’re monitoring our impact across the country and importantly what I tried to pick out in the case studies some of the challenges that we’re focusing and trying to develop tactics
And ways of of challenging them and overcoming them um we recognize that pre pre-application work is really really important we’ve got to frontload the system um and get involved as early as possible currently perhaps don’t have the team to do that but we’ve piloted an approach Before Christmas um and we hope
To open that up much more widely across England later this year linked to that as a recruitment of two more case officers to support us fundamental getting them on board hopefully March April time to be able to open that that preap up um much more widely um we have
Invested in a process review post post so obviously getting the consultations in processing them getting them to case offices getting the responses out in a timely manner as possible is absolutely fundamental um so we’ve developed systems and processes but they’re under continual review and we’ll tweet them
And develop them as required um we’re trying to work really closely as I said with our data analytics team who’ve developed the um active travel intervention platform which is um a way of getting that geographical information about where active travel investment is being made across the country so that we
Know about that as planning case officers when we’re responding to planning applications um we obviously work very closely with the Department of Transport and all their tools and surveys and sensus information in order to support our planning role as well so that’s where we want to get to still
Very much developing and learning on a daily basis and but I think we’ve got some strong rots um forward on that so next slide please I’ll now hand over to Ellen Douglas um to cover the planning policy project at sport England thank you Ellen thanks Helen um hi everyone I’m Ellen
And I’m the planning policy manager over at active travel England and I’m going to um give you a bit of a forward look about the work that active travel England is doing um and I was thinking in order to provide that forward look um I wanted to
Take a step back first and get in a sort of an active travel Tardis and travel back in space and time to the Netherlands about 20 30 years ago um because I’m from the Netherlands um and obviously the Netherlands is often seen as a good example for active travel and
In particular cycling um but that approach obviously wasn’t built in a day and it’s definitely evolved over time um so around 20 30 years ago um there was a bit of a paradigm shift where um instead of looking at um isolated cycling policies and individual cycle Lanes
There was a um a shift towards more um holistic and Integrated Network planning that was um to become deeply embedded into spatial planning um so this meant a shift for both transport planning and spatial planning and making sure that they are both um really closely interlined um so for transport planning
That meant um there was a um a shift from looking at Mobility towards uh considering more um accessibility and connectivity so making sure that spaces were really well connected between where people live where people work and where they actually uh want to go um it also um meant um thinking more
About how to connect active active travel with other modes of Transport so using active travel as um the first and the last mile of Journey and making sure that people had an actual choice in how they want to travel to make uh by making sure that walking and cycling was easy
And really focusing on safety um and convenience um and spatial planning in itself plays a really important role to embed that transport approach into um like a much wider vision for an area like a spatial strategy and um into new development as well uh and understanding how active travel helps to improve
Social economic and social uh social economic and envir environmental factors and making sure you understand that um symbiotic relationship between active travel and all those other benefits um and in the Netherlands this is definitely um an ongoing Journey but you can really notice just in the last
20 years that there’s been so many improvements on the ground so um streets have become a lot safer um there’s these really um good um connected Network works for active travel and also um they’re using accessibility as one of like an important factor to locate new development right next slide
Please um so then obviously the question is how does it actually fit into the planning system here and I think it fits really well so if you look at this really brief overview of the planning process um you can see um right at the end is um the development management
Process which is where active travel England has a role now um and that means because it’s right at the end that means that certain opportunities to embed active travel into planning and new developments um have been missed already um so it’s really important that um both National po policy and local policies
Set out requirements fact of travel um so looking at um National policy so the national planning policy framework and National planning n and planning practice guidance but also um design guidance and needs to explain really clearly how active travel should be considered in plans and developments and
What kind of evidence um is needed for that but then when you look at um the local plan uh which is right it’s a crucial Link in the planning process right in the middle um and it’s these local plans that um contain a vision for the future of local area and they are
The plans that set out like a special strategy and policies for development so local plan is really unique in a way that it it couples the long-term perspective for local area with locally specific rules for development so this makes it the perfect vehicle for that shift to integrated active travel
Planning next slide please so um considering all that this is exactly why at active travel englands we are reviewing our role and we’re doing that as part of um a one-year review um and this one-year review is split into two so first ly we want to review our
Current role as a statutary consulty in uh development management so we’ll be looking at um Effectiveness so um that includes for instance how um timely our responses are to planning applications and we want to showcase some case studies where things have gone really well and where they think they could
Have gone better um and we’re also looking at making improvements to our internal processes to make sure that we are running as effectively and efficiently as possible um but we want to take that one-year review as a bit of an opportunity to look at our role more
Broadly where else we can have really high impact um in the planning system um so Helen mentioned um we’re looking at um potentially becoming involved in pre-applications and also in local plan development which I’ll mention a bit later as well um we’re also considering how we can monitor the impact we’re
Having uh on planning outcomes and we want to really focus on um building an Evidence base that shows how active travel can actually help to enable sustainable development um and as part of this review um we’ll be regularly reaching out to stakeholders such as the private sector and local authorities to make
Sure that the role we play now and any potential new role we’re going to play in planning um is of value to everyone as well next slide please so I’ve mentioned that we want to look at our role in local plan making and we’re doing that
As part of the local plan disc recovery project which is split into three parts uh one of them is that we are engaging with current uh National bodies who are already involved in local plan making to understand um how they get involved how they engage with local planning
Authorities and what outcomes they they find from that work so we can really learn from current practice um the second part of the project is that we want to undertake a review of current local plans so we are setting out um a frame work through which we can do a sort of Baseline
Assessment of current local plans to understand how they are currently considering active travel um and this will also help us identify best practice in local plans and then the third part of the project is that um we’ve started um a pilot scheme with nine local planning authorities who are in the early stages
Of um developing a new local plan and we want to find out um from them what they would value from us in terms of developing guidance and active travel in local plan making or um how we can provide spoke suggestions so as I said so we can help them develop the local
Plan but also for active travel England we can help um to improve the way active travel is considered in local plans next slide please and the local plan elements that we’re looking at as part of the local plan Discovery projects um there’s four bits to it um
The first one is evidence so really interested in understanding what kind of evidence is being produced to support local plan making but also how existing evidence from um transport planning is being uh used here so for instance uh the local cycling and working investment plans um and then we would be looking at
How the local plan actually includes um the identified active travel routes requirements and how it provides um like a really concrete plan for funding and delivering that the second element is um we are really interested in understanding how local plants can incorporates um Act of travel in their vision and objectives
And then how they hook the policies onto that so um is there like a standalone policy on Act of travel or sustainable transport and does it specifically mention walking and cycling but like really importantly Wheeling or inclusive Mobility as well um you know how are the principles from the from National policy
And guidance and ltn 120 included and all the are the requirements for active travel like really clear and do they help provide certainty for developers as well and then really importantly too is to consider how active travel links to all these other planning objectives so the mppf provides quite a few links so
Um active travel can help to improve health and well-being in communities it can um help to achieve safe and inclusive communities um active travel can also help to improve the environment and access to Green spaces and Open Spaces um but on the other side green infrastructure can also help to make
Active travel routes much much more attractive um and then there’s obviously yeah good design and good standards for cycle routs and Facilities that can make active travel much safer and more appealing um because getting the policies right in the local plan and means that you know planning applications should um be of better
Quality as well for active travel and then the third part we’re looking at are site allocations so um does the method for um identifying suitable uh sites for residential and Commercial development does that include accessibility and connectivity um for active travel not just in terms of distance but also quality of routs um
And then for the specific site allocation policies um does that mention specific routs does it address local impacts and opportunities facts of travel um from existing development to a new development but also within the development itself and then lastly on monitoring how can we um make sure that we’re U
Monitoring um improvements to active travel in a local area in a meaningful and feasible way as well so what kind of indicators would that be like on infrastructure delivery or distance to facilities or modal shifts and uh or a combination of that next slide please uh then lastly um a quick
Timeline for the work we’re doing um we are uh undertaking the local plan Discovery project right now we’re hoping to complete that in April and um the results of that will feed into the one-year review and um we’re aiming to produce a report on that uh by the
Summer um and this report will bring together our findings and the next step we want to take to improve the integration of active travel into planning but also um we want to consider how we as active travel England can help can best help to facilitate that as part
Of our ongoing journey to encourage more people to walk wheel and cycle the last slide please and that’s it for our presentation thank you very much for listening thank you so much uh to Andy and Helen and Ellen uh two really interesting uh presentations there I’m really delighted uh to see that we’ve
Had a very active chat during this session I know this is a topic which you’re all very passionate about and there have been a huge number of questions in the chat uh unfortunately we will not be able to cover all of them uh today um as you can imagine this
Could be a topic we could talk about for a long time um we will endeavor to get back to you afterwards for any uh questions that aren’t answered um but if we could move to next slide please um I’m going to welcome our speakers back I’m also delighted to welcome Luke crdy
From pal frishman and John Stanford from homes England who are also uh kindly uh commenting away in the chat for us and are going to join our Q&A now um so if we could take the slides down and speakers if you could all kindly return with your cameras back on and we’ll get
Started we’ve selected the most popular questions from the um chat and I’ll try my best to direct it to to uh each of you um there have been lots of comments around Rural and uh Andy if I could bring you in first with the first question have you got any examples of
Active travel being successfully implemented in rural locations linking to new housing to the existing centers and reducing the need for vehicle Le trips thanks Hundai um so yeah uh I there aren’t many examples given the timeline uh that the LT1 120 has been working to but I know
Uh C certainly the work we’ve been doing across great to Manchester and and in The Wider Northwest particularly up in Cumbria there are a lot of schemes being developed at the moment which are seeking to address that that rural connectivity issue um I think the way
That’s been done is to try and be a little bit more creative um some of the uh schemes that we’re looking at are seeking to link uh small rural settlements uh which are connected by for instance a 60 M hour country road with no footways uh no lighting and so
To try and deliver some kind of active travel provision there is is is really really quite difficult so the the examples that that we’ve been developing are are perhaps quite quite common in in in parts of the Lake District particularly in the National Park where we seek to obtain a slice of land
From neighboring land owners and we then put an active uh active travel uh Pathway to the side of the carriageway um now clearly that carries with it its own challenges it does require a positive relationship with the land owner there is the cost of acquiring that land but there are ways to work
Around those rural limitations and in terms of the compliance with LTM 1220 um we’ve had a number of of of Engagement sessions with uh Helen and Ellen’s colleagues uh in in in at and they they do very much recognize the challenges of that rural environment and
They they do listen to locations and to proposals where there is a need to step away from from LTM 1220 um LTM 120 is isn’t an absolute rigid document there there is a lot of flexibility its application and it does acknowledge that where significant constraints are
Present it may not always be possible to to meet those those absolute aspirational standards so I I think you’ll probably see over the next uh three or four years a lot of rural examples coming forward um and and particularly given the more recent rounds of active travel funding um
You’ll see a lot of authorities have used that money to to to Really develop that that type of of non not non-urban scheme thanks Andy um Ellen and Helen leading on from that um is there any active travel England advice and guidance available for schemes in smaller towns and rural
Areas um thank you yes we are completely live to the to the Gap there in terms of rural provision and um we are working with Department of Transport colleagues on a on an advice note particularly focused on Rural issues um I’ve had a presentation Before Christmas about some
Of the themes coming out of that um and again we we hope that something will come out later this year to um to bridge that Gap in terms of policy and guidance on that issue great thank you um and Helen you touched in your um presentation around uh surfacing
Materials um obviously we’re aware there are issues with highways authorities not always adopting good quality services uh due to the cost of Maintenance and the question is can this be compelled or can anything be done to make sure that highways agencies uh and authorities align with active travel policy and Designs within
Reason this is another issue that that has cropped up through our staty consulty role obviously when we comment on that planning application we insist on all weather surfacing for wheelers and cyclists you know it should not be an Unbound um loose gravel surface just horrendous for anybody to try and walk
And cycle and wheel on um it’s not going to last last long at all in terms of Maintenance so what may be cheap to put down will have be a maintenance problem for either the highway Authority or the management company involved there so that’s what I’ve come across in our
Staty planning role I think wider at is really concerned and wanting to work with local highways Authorities on their adoption and their design guidance and for routs and and the highway much broader much strategically to try and make sure that we bring everybody up to
The same page that we’re on in terms of Standards so yes we’re completely live to that and there’s work ongoing could I just come in on on that point as well actually because I I I absolutely agree with Helen on that but I think there it’s not to say that um
There aren’t places where a an Unbound gravel type surface aren’t appropriate um and I I I don’t think it’s it’s a case of saying that that that type of surface is is never suitable particularly and again coming back to this whole rural Point um there there
Are a lot of the sustrans routs which are of that compacted gravel uh compacted earth type surface and given that location and the function that that that type of of path performs I I think that’s suitable in that location but I would Echo Helen’s points about that
More uh developed area and having those those sealed surfaces in that context is is really really important thanks and and um I did notice in chat there was also a reference to um brightways there as well so um yeah thank you um Luke can I bring you in um
There have been a lot of questions about space and how we manage Road space for all modes um can you just comment on that and and give us some insight yeah that so there’s obv been quite you say a lot of questions um which are quite a mix of questions when
We’re talking about space and there’s been questions about um vehicle of space and giving some of that up to accommodate active travel use and active travel infrastructure and then there’s been comments about uh obstructions in in footways and be that bins Street furniture and what have you
Um and then there’s been obstructions in terms of parking parked Vehicles parked vehicles on curvs and such like so you know there’s quite a mix of questions there and there’s a lot of different ways to try and deal with that there’s obviously the aspect of the trying to plan ahead which comes
Back to the point that’s been mentioned about local plans and infrastructure associated with that so it’s planning sufficiently far in advance as new developments come forward it’s planning cities as they evolve cities and towns to make sure that the uh right intentions are there and I noticed there
Was a question as well about developers uh more often not just following what are the requirements of the highway Authority and again this thing comes into play with what’s been planned in advance and what’s in infrastructure plans and in terms of some of the conflicts that occur and what and the
Actual Road space available clearly there are times when Road space is very limited the the extent of what is the adopted Highway and what you can do is very tight uh commonly in cities and towns you have walls you have buildings you have Associated obstructions that makes it very difficult to move around
But again if you’re planning far enough in advance you can look at how you can try and Sol solve that are there rooting options to take you away from those particular obstructions and whilst funding for that might be quite substantial when it’s just taken in isolation if it’s considered uh in in
Totality and planned in advance then contributions be it from developers or other sources for local Authority can help to inform finding that space um but the other aspect of course is the balancing up and this comes to the question about vehicle space is the balance between who who takes priority
Is it the vehicle or is it the active travel user and and who determines which that should be and and clearly as as has been presented by hel Ellen and Andy we are trying to take the focus away from the car and put it towards encouraging
Active travel in all its forms with the view that we actually achieve that reduction in car use and if you can balance that out with some reduction in vehicle capacity if there’s been gain in active travel infrastructure and it’s easier and preferable to travel by whether it’s by bike or walking in all
The other modes and that’s where you can gain some of your capacity that’s needed and so there isn’t a simple answer and there will always be some locations where space is just so tight Solutions are very limited or have to be not a compromised solution but a sort of a
Balanced solution to accommodating everything and you know the lgm 120 sometimes of a completely segregated route just isn’t possible and it’s finding that that middle round Lyn do you want to come in on that yeah I think that was very well made um series of points there Luke I just
Wanted to add about the you know reducing capacity in in Motor Vehicles you know what what may have demanded a a forearm Junction in terms of a roundabout you know if you reduce that um those vehicle numbers and modal shift away to more active travel actually you
Might not need need such a massive land take for a forearm roundabout you might be able to solve it with a different series of Junctions or a different intervention which then frees up more land for active travel infrastructure and actually for the developer a new roundabout it’s quite
Expensive so actually might make it more reasonable to invest in active travel as an alternative so thanks Luke good response thanks Helen and I’m ASA sorry but we’re GNA have to leave it there for questions for today but um if we can return back to uh the slides and just go
Back to um the next slide slide 61 one um on this slide when it pops up in a moment you’ll be able to see our take-home messages slide uh with key information from our speakers um you will receive a copy of all the slides after uh this session so don’t don’t
Worry they’ll come through to you um next slide please there we are and I just want to say thank you again to our fantastic speakers to everyone for attending uh thank you also especially to Lisa katuk and her lgcc team who have made these sessions possible behind the
Scenes um that concludes today’s uh session thank you for joining us thank you all very much for your time today and uh goodbye for me thanks