The University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy (ATA) has been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to explore the health, wellbeing and economic impacts of new cycling infrastructure for a diverse range of people across England.
Led by Principal Investigators Professor Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport and Director of the ATA, and Senior Research Fellow Dr Ersilia Verlinghieri, the ATA team alongside researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Birmingham will study the impact of new cycling infrastructure being built in three regions outside London over the course of five years. The regions involved are Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, where Local Authorities are set to build extensive new cycle routes following new investments and updated national design guidance, which is more ambitious than previous standards.
Active travel, such as walking, cycling and wheeling, are associated with important health and environmental benefits. As new national cycling infrastructure design guidance is based on London’s approach, the study will reveal whether the benefits and positive results seen in the capital can be replicated across England. These results included a £1 billion health economic benefit from a £100 million investment in Outer London.
Photo credit: Wheels4Wellbeing photo bank
The team will use mixed methods to investigate the impact of the new cycling infrastructure, including carrying out a large survey each year across all three regions. ATA will collaborate with community partners Wheels for Wellbeing and Joy Riders to produce in-depth research on how the infrastructure is affecting residents from specific local ethnic minority communities and/or who are disabled, as these groups typically cycle less than others, are often less involved in consultations and may have different experiences of active travel.
About the study Professor Aldred said: “This is a great opportunity to study cycling infrastructure outside London, creating a geographically diverse evidence base. We’ll both measure changes in travel behaviour over time using a population wide survey and explore in depth how different groups experience new cycling infrastructure, focusing on disabled people and ethnic minority communities.”
The Travel-Well project directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, 10: Reduced Inequalities and 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Travel-Well project and the Active Travel Academy.
Find out more about Transport and Logistics courses at the University of Westminster.
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