Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), this research body commenced in October 2008 and involves the universities of Leeds, Oxford, East Anglia, Salford and Manchester, in consultation with local walking and cycling groups in four UK cities. It builds upon a growing recognition that walking and cycling can make a considerable contribution to sustainable transport goals, public health and the sociability of communities.
The amount of walking and cycling in the United Kingdom has declined significantly over the last sixty years and previous research suggests that there are currently major obstacles preventing people from using these modes. Visions2030 is unashamedly radical in its approach to this challenge and will examine the means by which a fundamental change to both the quantity and quality of such ‘active travel’ can occur.
The research of Visions2030 assesses the potential in the UK for achieving substantial increases in walking and cycling by 2030. Evidence based pathways will be developed with input from a new range of participatory tools to determine the suitability of alternative packages of measures. Through innovative approaches to analysis, more challenging longer term targets can be reached and the step changes necessary to fully maximise the potential of walk and cycling in achieving a sustainable transport system and a more inclusive society can be realised.
Contacts
Professor Miles Tight,
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK
T: +44 (0) 121 414 5071
E: m.r.tight@bham.ac.uk