Sustainable travel

Embrace the Journey: Unlocking the Magic of Active Travel

After a quick analysis of the various projects we work on here at DTP and following on from the senior team’s recent conference outings, it is clear that Active Travel has become increasingly present in the transport sector, with government agencies, local councils and developers being responsible for its implementation at different scales and in a range of contexts. 

But WHAT exactly is Active Travel? WHY is it important? HOW, WHEN and WHERE should Active Travel be implemented? And finally, WHO does Active Travel impact? 

Never fear, DTP are here to answer the big questions, and tell you about all things Active Travel.  

Firstly, WHAT is Active Travel? 

The Active Travel, as you may have guessed is a pretty straightforward concept and does exactly what is says on the tin. Travelling, getting from A to B, wherever that maybe, in an active way, powered by the movement of your body. There are several modes of active travel, including walking, running, cycling (including e-bikes to give you an extra push), and wheeling, whether you use a wheelchair, skateboard, scooter or roller blade, as long as it’s powered by you, it’s Active Travel. 

WHY is Active Travel and its infrastructure important?

In a nutshell, increasing levels of Active Travel will benefit people, places and the wider environment, where less vehicles and more moving will result in healthier people living, working and socialising in healthier spaces, and what could be more important than your health?  

However, infrastructure is key. People may be willing to ditch the car in favour of walking or cycling but if there is no safe space to do so many will continue to drive the 5-minutes into town rather than walk along the grass verge for 15-minutes. Which is why, we at DTP promote the idea that the Active Travel network needs to be considered at all stages of the planning process, to ensure all new developments provide effective Active Travel routes that connect directly to existing infrastructure. 

HOW do we maximise Active Travel? 

Here at DTP we use our experience across a wide range of development schemes from garden villages, holiday units and residential developments to roadside facilities and drive-thru restaurants to advise our clients on Active Travel infrastructure that is suitable for the nature and scale of the proposed development. Working with developers and the wider planning team to encourage Active Travel to be considered throughout the entire planning process and beyond creating better developments for the future. 

Obviously, Active Travel isn’t suitable for all journeys as some areas are simply too far away or the time it would take to walk, wheel or cycle isn’t feasible, however, the Active Travel network can still be used to reach other services. Effective Active Travel infrastructure should be integrated into the public transport network, for example, walking to your nearest bus stop, getting the bus into town and walking to the local shops through a pedestrianised area. 

WHEN and WHERE can we implement Active Travel?

Active Travel can be implemented at any new or existing development, however, the type of infrastructure offered will vary, depending on the nature and scale of a development. Where cycle stands and changing facilities may be offered to encourage staff to cycle to a drive-thru restaurant or pedestrianised streets and off-road cycle routes designed throughout housing developments, allowing a safer traffic free environment for Active Travel to take place. 

It is not only Active Travel infrastructure that can be offered at such developments, education, training and promotional materials to encourage the users of a development to change their behaviour and attitudes in favour of Active Travel is equally as important. Such promotional material can be given to staff in the form of a welcome Travel Pack as they begin their new role and/or displayed to other users of the site on posters throughout the development site. (Think your development could benefit from a site specific Travel Pack and Travel Plan? Contact us, and DTP will guide you through the process).

WHO does Active Travel benefit? 

Active Travel has the potential to benefit everyone, from those out there travelling actively, to employers, those making unavoidable car journeys and maybe even more importantly, the environment. Getting out and moving on your daily commute or on the way to the shops improves both physical and mental health, getting some fresh air and an additional dose of exercise. 

Speaking of fresh air, less cars and vans on the road will reduce the emissions in an area, improving the air quality so we can all breathe easier. Additionally, less congestion will reduce noise pollution, especially in more urbanised areas, creating a calmer environment for all.

For an employer/developer we understand that prioritising Active Travel may well be an after thought as there as so many other things that go into a business/new development, however, healthier, happier employees working and living in ‘greener’, cleaner areas can also benefit a business, that is where we come in, to advise you on how to get the most out of your development plans. 

*Follow the DTP social media channels to learn more through our Active Travel series* 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dynamictransportplanning

TikTok: Dynamictransportplanning

Twitter: DynamicTP

*If you are looking to get planning approval for your development and wish to provide an effective active travel infrastructure, DTP would be happy to help and can provide planning application support to cover your highways needs, as well as Travel Plans and Travel Packs to encourage your users to choose sustainably when it comes to travel* 

Transport in Vancouver

Having recently returned from holiday (or should I say vacation!)  in Vancouver, Canada, a number of transport-related concepts from across the pond piqued my interest, not just the fact that they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road!

The first thing that becomes overtly evident is that Canada is a very green country – and that’s not just the trees! For example, car idling is illegal, improving air quality. Pedestrians and cyclists have more right of way than back in the UK, and the majority of buses are electric, promoting sustainable transport choices. 

The city also benefits from EVO, a car share service akin to the electric scooter hires popping up left, right and centre in UK cities. With EVO, members can hop into any EVO car across the city (either hybrid or fully electric) and drive them for around $0.45 per minute, minus tax. Insurance, petrol (…gas!) and even parking are included for free. In fact, EVO-only parking spaces are spread across the city and with bike/ski racks included on every car, they are a very enticing option for sustainable travel. 

Designated cycle lanes (above) are located on virtually every road, with advance cycle stop lines at each set of traffic lights, of which there are many. The road structure (designed in very linear blocks) lends itself to signalised intersections, rather than roundabouts such as in the UK – which themselves tend not be very cycle friendly. I did, however, see one small roundabout, at which I observed many local motorists without a clue who to give way to! Red ‘stop’ signs are also used instead of road markings to indicate where to give way at a junction (below). 

A car parked on the side of a road Description automatically generated with medium confidence

The use of more traffic lights than you could ever dream of does also mean that a couple of other concepts can be introduced to improve the flow of traffic. On busy roads, left turns are prohibited during busy hours to ensure that traffic does not build up waiting for gaps in the oncoming traffic. All vehicles can also turn right on red lights – given that no pedestrians are crossing, or vehicles are approaching from the left – reducing queue lengths (or ‘line-ups’, apparently). On-street parking is also available or prohibited, depending on the time of the day and on how busy the road is, either freeing up the highway for traffic, or space for parked vehicles. 

Are there any interesting transport concepts you’ve come across on your travels that seem alien to the UK? Let us know @DynamicTP on Twitter!

e-bikes : The next level of luxury accommodation?

We are getting used to seeing e-bikes whizzing around in towns and cities when undertaking a tourist tour or just commuting to a weekday job (covid dependent) but they are becoming more noticeable as part of add ons available with your holiday accommodation.

Center Parcs Villages

For anyone who has ever stayed at a UK Centre Parcs you will know the emphasis placed on hiring a bike as part of your holiday. This has been in existence as long as the brand has, but have you ever tried to get hold of one of their electric bikes? Almost impossible unless you booked the minute your holiday dates became available. There is huge demand for these, and the hire price reflects it, as well as the cost of purchasing the bike in the first place.

For some people this is a great way to test out an e-bike in a safe environment with no traffic and their suitability for purchasing one at home. It would be interesting to see how much people search the internet for ‘e-bike’ when they are staying in the villages.

In covid times we have also seen the e-bikes re-purposed as Center Parcs delivery vehicles, providing meals from the village restaurants direct to your lodge address. At least this way the delivery driver doesn’t arrive sweating into your chow mein.

Hotels

On one of our last trips to Bowness in the Lake District we were pleasantly surprised to see that our hotel had a brand new bike shed packed full of e-bikes for use by their customers. This is a welcome addition to The Burnside hotel due to the hotel being situated on top of an extremely steep hill that is an interesting walk after a day on the lake or dining in a local restaurant.

This was a brand new installation, but an example of adding that level of luxury, especially as prices for holidays in the UK have been increasing as demand has soared in between covid lockdowns. Will more hotels follow suit and add e-bikes as a complimentary use or for hire in areas suitable for travelling by bike?

Bikes at The Burnside

e-bike Holidays

Our searching uncovered that there are complete holidays based around e-bikes. National Forest e-bike holidays plan you a route from BnB to hotel in a particular area. Your bike is delivered to your first accommodation and your luggage is delivered to each stop along the way. A great idea for those who have longed for a bike holiday but perhaps don’t have the fitness to or the urge to be exhausted at the end of every day.

Holiday Cottages / Air bnbs

Our searches also brought up amazing collaboration between e-bike hiring companies in the UK and local holiday cottages and Air BnBs. e-bikes can be booked in advance as part of your stay, often with a discount negotiated by the vendor, or you are at least signposted to hire one when you arrive. It’s a great way to keep sight seeing options open and for local businesses to engage with tourists.

So will e-bikes become the next level of luxury for hotel accommodation in the UK? Or is the risk of damage too much to sustain for the hotels? As we emerge from covid it will be interesting how many people take up opportunities to test out e-bikes and if these equate to an increase in sales.

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