Sir Chris Whitty appointed to Active Travel England advisory panel

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty today became one of four senior figures to become part of a new advisory panel, Active Travel England.

Working alongside chair of the Office of Rail and Road, Declan Collier, West Midlands’ Mayor, Andy Street, and Arup’s global transport leader, Isabel Dedring, Whitty will support Active Travel England’s aim to make walking, wheeling and cycling the first choice for everyday trips.

Sir Chris Whitty, said: “Exercise improves health and Active Travel England’s mission is shared by the health service. We all want to see more people incorporating active travel into their day as a way to keep mentally and physically fit.”

Sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT), Active Travel England’s our objective is for 50% of trips in England’s towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030.

By making everyday journeys simple, easy and fun, Active Travel England is working to give people the choice to leave their car at home.  Working alongside councils, the scheme plans to do this by:

• giving people an alternative to driving by delivering new, protected routes and junctions, and quieter roads and neighbourhoods
• putting active travel at the heart of towns and cities, including ensuring that £3.2 billion of government investment on active travel delivers to new high national standards
• embedding active travel into 1,000 major new developments, reducing local congestion
• providing the tools to deliver ambitious active travel programmes, including training local officers and councillors in active travel delivery best practice 
• making it safer, including developing new solutions and guidance on safe infrastructure design based on solid insight and evidence to reduce the risk of near-misses and collisions

It will also:

• provide funding for every school that would like Bikeability training for children
• give one million people who wouldn’t think cycling is for them an opportunity to try it

Chair of the Office of Rail and Road, Declan Collier, said: “Making local trips, either on foot or on two wheels, is a great way to boost physical health and also mental wellbeing. For those wanting to do their walking or cycling further afield, England’s rail and road networks will get you there.”

“I look forward to getting started and working together with the other panel members to bring about positive change in people’s lives.”

National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said: Active travel is a key part of achieving so many of the government’s top priorities, so we want to link up with those agendas from the very start.

“Providing low-cost, healthy travel options to get to schools, shops and workplaces will revitalise high streets across the country and help us decarbonise at the same time. Active Travel England was created to deliver healthy, sustainable transport growth, and I’m delighted we now have such incredible experts to help us get the job done.

Active Travel Minister, Baroness Vere, added: “This new advisory panel will be key to supporting the government’s ambition to get more people walking, wheeling and cycling by transforming active travel infrastructure across the country.

“Better infrastructure will not only improve connections to employment, education and local services but improve our mental and physical wellbeing and help to level up the country. I look forward to working with Sir Chris, Andy, Declan and Isabel to achieve this.”

The advisory panel will meet quarterly with a mix of online and in-person meetings. The first meeting with take place in late October.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, added: “Active Travel England will be best placed to succeed as a delivery agency if it closely collaborates with local Mayors as well as both Combined and Local Authorities.”

“That’s why I’m looking forward to helping ensure that ATE can make a real and rapid difference across England. Enabling more local trips to be taken on foot or on wheels can improve the journey experience, encourage a healthier lifestyle and help us to tackle the climate emergency. Increasing walking and cycling uptake is central to our vision to establish a truly integrated transport network here in the West Midlands and can support local economic growth by breathing new life into our high streets.”

Arup’s Global Transport Leader and former Deputy Mayor of London, Isabel Dedring, said: “Delivering a step change in active travel requires focus and determination, but it also requires attention to detail, meaningful engagement with communities and their real needs, and integration with the wider transport network.

“The UK is seen as a leader in many aspects of progressive transport policy and has a fantastic chance through Active Travel England to retain its position as a leader in this rapidly developing area.”

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