Active Travel Toolbox

This active travel toolbox was launched in an effort to help local authorities make the case for, and improve, walking and cycling schemes.

The free toolbox has been created by Sustrans in partnership with Living Streets, the TAS Partnership and Dr Adrian Davis from the University of West England.

It is organised into three areas: making the economic case for active travel; linking active travel and public transport to housing growth and planning; and the role of active travel in improving health.

Sustrans says that walking and cycling can contribute towards economic performance by reducing congestion. The charity adds that making it easier for families and communities to walk and cycle also improves health and air quality.

The toolbox includes three ‘tools’ which can be used for forecasting the impact of planned interventions:

• The Infrastructure Impact Tool: estimates the impact of investments in specific types of cycling infrastructure.

• The Recreational Expenditure Model: estimates the economic benefit of recreational cycling in terms of expenditure in the local economy.

• The Strategic Investment Tool: aids understanding around the impact and cost of multi-intervention investment.