Agenda item

This report provides an overview of the current status and recent developments in Active Travel across Medway, with a particular focus on the indicator 'Percentage of adults walking for travel at least three days per week'. Medway continues to underperform on this indicator compared to national and regional averages, highlighting a critical area for improvement. The report outlines the strategic role of the Active Travel Group, recent delivery successes including Local Cycling and Walking Improvement Plan (LCWIP) approval and school engagement and identifies opportunities for further collaboration to improve health and wellbeing outcomes through sustainable transport.

Discussion:

The Board received a report on active travel in Medway and were informed of the various initiatives taking place to encourage people to walk or cycle more, in particular the numbers of short trips that could be done using these means which could reduce the risk of heart disease by 36%. Medway falls below the national average of 43% of adults who walk nationally, and it was vital that steps be taken to encourage the population to be more active.

There had been a good uptake of initiatives and participation in competitions by primary and secondary schools, and recently Greenvale school came 5^th in the whole county for active travel.

There was a collaborative approach to tackling issues and meetings with partners had been beneficial in assisting with aims and objectives of the active travel plan and embedding its principles with other plans such as the 5 year Obesity Plan. Digital resources were also being developed to encourage people to take active travel means seriously due to health benefits.

Members then raised the following comments and questions:

The work on schools streets was commended and the ‘Big Walk and When’ initiative which 22 schools took part in was also commended. Greenvale school was commended for their whole school response to the walking to school initiative.

It was asked what was being done to encourage employers to invest in active travel initiative schemes for their staff. The Chairperson said that discussions took place at the recent breakfast meeting of the business networking group, and many employers had recognised the need to encourage their staff to explore alternative modes of travel due to the benefit to their health and wellbeing. Officers added that the Council set an example through its travel plans, and it was hoped that other employers would follow suit.

Older population - it was commented that it was encouraging that the infrastructure to facilitate walking and cycling in Medway continued to improve there was however concern for the older population whose ability to enjoy the walking infrastructure was limited due to limited availability of seats in parks for them to rest during their walks. Whilst it was encouraging that there were many initiatives aimed at young people and getting them to walk, there was a need for a shift of focus from just the young. The Chairperson added that some seats had been removed in some areas as a result of antisocial behaviour but design codes in many areas did allow for stop and rest, with different types of seats bult in to prevent vandalism. Public Health had different walks available in Medway for all ability types, but more could be done in urban areas to support walks for the older population. Additionally, the Board was informed that there was now a Public Health Planning Officer in post who looked into what could work in different areas of Medway.

Outcomes - in response to questions on how it was being ensured that initiatives resulted in long term effects and what opportunities there were to talk to parents and encourage good habits, officers highlighted the importance of parental input in initiatives. The programmes promoted in schools were targeted at whole families. It was found that many children wanted to walk but there was a need for cultural habits of their parents and carers to change. Information was passed on that most trips could be completed faster by walking and cycling than driving but changes to perception took time to embed. There was also work being undertaken to establish long term relationships with schools and maintaining consistency in all ages of school transition. Different partners worked with different schools based on the level of involvement the schools were comfortable in engaging with.

School streets - it was commented that there were issues in some areas with the school streets initiative which had knock on effect on the older population due to the impact on carers abilities to access the streets at certain times. It was confirmed that this was being looked into by the Council. It was further commented that whilst schools streets may be challenging in some areas it was however important to remember that the hours of operation were only for an hour in the morning and in the afternoon. The impact in reduction to congestion in the immediate area of the schools were welcomed by the schools.

The work on active travel was central to improvements to environments, and the health and wellbeing of communities. There had been extensive work on the impact pollution and traffic had on health, and congestion was a serious issue in Medway that had to be tackled.

The partners across the Board were encouraged to talk to colleagues that worked directly with families to include discussions on active travel programme  where possible  and appropriate, in their conversations and contact.

Decision:

The Committee noted the report.