01 / Introduction

Active travel, particularly walking and cycling, is known to be the single most effective solution to ill health in UK cities. Poor public health resulting from lack of exercise is a major problem. In Manchester alone, inactivity costs £6.4bn a year in avoidable healthcare costs, and lack of exercise contributes to one in six deaths. Unfortunately, exercise and active travel have been engineered out of daily life. As experience in the Netherlands has shown, turning the situation around requires a long-term, strategic effort.

High levels of congestion, noise and air pollution on streets are a huge turn-off for pedestrians and cyclists. As an example, in a survey for the London Cycling Action Plan, only 31% of respondents had exercised twice for more than 10 minutes on the previous day. Fixing problems associated with high volumes of traffic and unwelcoming streets is an important step in promoting active travel to deliver healthier cities.

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