Sustainable urban transport – the role of walking and cycling

Abstract

Walking and cycling are both underutilised transport modes in most UK urban areas. Among other benefits, they do not directly produce pollutants at point of use, they generate limited noise and they require less space than motor vehicles. Walking and cycling importantly provide a good source of regular exercise. The link between active travel and health has been studied extensively and is generally accepted. However, most research focuses on walking and cycling for private transport, either for leisure or for more functional reasons. The use of walking and cycling as a means of freight transport appears vastly underresearched, and the potential is unclear. This overview paper argues that it is possible to put in place packages of measures that can significantly improve both levels of walking and cycling. This may mean fundamentally changing the existing power relationships that exist between different transport modes, provision of a greater proportion of funds towards active modes of transport and consideration of novel ways of financing to encourage change.