Move More Active Travel
The ambition is for walking and cycling to be the preferred mode of travel for short journeys in and around Sheffield. To achieve this, walking and cycling need to be made more convenient, more accessible and more acceptable for everyone in Sheffield. Public transport needs to be the main source of motorised transport and car use needs to be made more difficult, for those who do not have mobility issues.
Getting around is an important part of everyday life. Choosing active ways of travelling from place to place can increase physical activity levels and improve physical and mental wellbeing. Prioritisation of active travel can also reduce over-reliance on motorised transport, contributing to improved air quality and a reduction in road injuries.
Around 40% of current car commuting trips are less than 1 km in length, people living on lower incomes are more likely to live in high traffic areas and urban centres which discourage walking and cycling so they are affected disproportionately. The culture in Sheffield is car-centric; this simply has to change.
Sheffield must become a place where active travel is an easy and safe option for everyone regardless of their age, ability or where they live, work, learn, visit and play.
This change will have numerous benefits for communities with safer and more pleasant streets, better air quality, lower carbon emissions, lower noise pollution and reduced congestion, all of which are priorities for Sheffield. To enable this to happen, car-use must be de-prioritised and the safety of people walking and cycling must be the number one priority as detailed in Sheffield City Region Active Travel Implementation Plan.
“One third of households in South Yorkshire don’t have access
to a vehicle, so prioritising active travel is also a matter of social
justice. By enabling, not just encouraging, people to be active
for their everyday, short journeys, or as part of a longer journey
using public transport, we are ensuring that everyone has the
same access to opportunities, which includes addressing health
inequalities.
Active travel enables children to become independent
travellers sooner and gives disabled people and those with
additional access needs more freedom. By designing the places
where people live, work and play, to be accessed more easily
on foot, with a mobility aid, by cycle, or by other non-motorised
means, it becomes easier for everyone to find time to be active”
Find out more about how the Sheffield City Region are planning to transform our neighbourhoods and communities in the coming years - for the benefit of everyone