transport and health – living streets in scotland keith irving living streets scotland manager

Transport and Health – Living Streets in Scotland

Keith Irving

Living Streets Scotland Manager

Presentation Outline

• Introduction to Living Streets

• Does walking matter…

• Health implications of transport decisions:– Obesity and physical activity– Ageing population and walking

• Making changes in current climate:– Designing Streets, Low Carbon Scotland, SCSP,

Cycling Action Plan

Introduction to Living Streets

Formed 1929: Over 80 years of campaigning as Pedestrians Association and Living Streets

Introduction to Living Streets

Living Streets is the national charity that stands up for pedestrians.

With our supporters we work to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk.

• National promotional campaign (including Walk to School Week in May/WTS month)

• Walk once a Week - WoW

• Step Up- Free Your Feet at secondary schools

• Outreach and direct work with schools

Living Streets’ Walk to School campaign

http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/

Walk to Work Week 2011

• 9th-13th May• Target of 15,000 individuals registering on

the event website to take part.

• Free online tool for registration, updating your progress and seeing how different workplaces are doing

• Supporting materials and resources, including posters, information sheets, pedometers, shoe bags, footcare kits, etc…

•Physical activity strategy objective:To develop and maintain long-lasting, high-quality physical environments to support inactive people to become active”•National Transport Strategy says: “Walking is the nearest activity to perfect exercise, most people can do it and it costs nothing” •Obesity strategy objective:“increasing opportunities for and uptake of walking, cycling and other physical activity in our daily lives and minimising sedentary behaviour”.

Scottish Government: walking matters

Scottish Government: walking matters

• “we need to remember that the road asset is not confined to the part used by motorised vehicles - how we maintain our footways and cycleways is also crucial”

• Transport Scotland, March 2011, Summer summit to

shape road maintenance future

Edinburgh today

Physical inactivity

Photo courtesy of Graeme Bird on flickr

Challenge in Scottish

society: obesity

%Adults (15yrs+) with BMI>30kg/m2

Source: OECD Health Data, 2006

8.3

9

9.5

12.9

13

13.1

14.1

14.8

18.8

20.9

21.7

21.9

22.4

23

24.2

25.5

32.2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Norway (2002)

Italy (2003)

France (2004)

Germany (2003)

Ireland (2002)

Spain (2003)

Finland (2005)

Czec Republic (2002)

Hungary (2003)

New Zealand (2003)

Australia (1999)

Greece (2003)

Canada (2004)

UK (2004)

Mexico (2000)

Scotland (2003)

US (2004)

% obese (BMI>30kg/m2)

Increasing Obesity in Scotland

Prevalence of overweight & obesity adults (Scottish Health Survey 2008)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

over

weight

obes

e

over

weight

obes

e

over

weight

obes

e

over

weight

obes

e

%

Men

Women

1995 1998 2003 2008

Population 16+ meeting recommended physical activity levels by Body Mass Index and gender (Scottish Health Survey 2008)

52 52

47

33

41 42

33

24

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

<18.5underweight

18.5 to <25normal weight

25 to <30overweight

30 +obese

BMI

%

Men

Women

Obesity and physical activity in Scotland

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1985

(*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person)

No Data <10% 10–14% 15–19% 20–24% 25–29% ≥30%



No Data <10% 10–14% 15–19% 20–24% 25–29% ≥30%

Health and economic costs of obesity

• Projected cost £50bn by 2050 • “Obesity threatens the health

and well-being of individuals and will place an intolerable burden on the Exchequer in terms of health costs, on employers through lost productivity and on families because of the increasing burden of long-term chronic disability.”

• (UK Government Foresight report on obesity)

http://www.webstockpro.com/DigitalVision/dv1554009.Side-View-of-a-Young-Man-Photo/

Obesity & Sustainable Travel (short distance daily travel)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

USA

Austra

lia

Canad

aGB

Norway

Nether

lands

Latvi

a

%

Obesity Prevalence Walk + Bike + Public Transport

Increasing active travel

Decreasing obesity

Source: Bassett et al, J Physical Activity & Health, 2008, 5, 795-814

Walkable neighbourhoods

“Evidence is emerging that people who live in more walkable neighbourhoods and areas with higher levels of mixed land-use are more active and have somewhat lower body weights than those in areas less conducive to walking or cycling as part of their everyday routine.” (Scottish Government, Health Eating Active Living Action Plan, 2008

Walkable Neighbourhoods- DS

• High population density• Mixed land use• High connectivity - easy walking &

cycling routes between destinations• Good pedestrian and cycling

facilities – well maintained pavements, cycle routes, traffic calming measures

• Good accessibility – variety of easily reached destinations or facilities (within 10 minutes walk / 800m)

• Daily needs within walking distance of most residents

"One unanticipated result…was that I began to gain weight. Though we were

doing barely enough at the quarry to work up a sweat,

the walk there and back was enough to keep me trim." (Long Walk to Freedom)

‘I have lost over a stone in weight by walking more for

ministerial duties.’

'What has helped enormously has been the audio books I listen to while I'm walking

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/SStevensonMSP.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Nelson_Mandela.jpg

Scotland’s Ageing Population

Scottish Travel Diary 2007/08: Main mode of travel by age

Walkers’ Society?

‘Post-drivers’ society?

Scottish Household Survey 2009. Possession of driving licence by age and gender

Increasing emergency admissions

Scottish Government: Re-shaping Care for Older People, 2011

Pedestrian Fatalities increasing by age

Older people pedestrian fatalities

Source: Trends and basic figures of pedestrian traffic fatalities in urban areas in the OECD countries E. Papadimitriou, T.Hughes, G.Yannis National Technical University of Athens, Greece, New Zealand Transport Agency

Making changes in current climate

• Implement Designing Streets and Smarter Choices Smarter Places: Small changes

• Low Carbon Scotland- active travel target– 20mph– Footway parking

• Cycling Action Plan for Scotland

(Re-)Designing Streets hierarchy

Designing Streets: a policy statement for Scotland, Scottish Government, 2010

Little changes, Large impact

Images: Jon Dales/Local Transport Today.

Before & afterWalworth Road, London

Inverness: Church Street Lane

Images: Living Streets. Before image left.

TCRF: Lochee High Street, Dundee

Images: Living Streets. Before image above.

TCRF: Lochee High Street, Dundee



TCRF: Barrhead

Dundee City Centre

Images: Living Streets (R) Neil Gellatly (L).

Dundee City Centre

Low Carbon Scotland report on Climate ChangeCommitment to walking:

“[CAPS] sets the framework for a 10fold increase in proportion of journeys made by bicycle. This proposal also includes options to encourage people to walk shorter journeys more often. The proposal seeks to increase the proportion of journeys by active travel to 20%.”

Low Carbon Scotland, Meeting the Emission Reduction Targets 2010-2022. March 2011, Scottish Government

Changes- 20mph

20mph- outside schools during peak hours

20mph- all residential streets

20mph- high streets


Oxford- 20mph streets


Edinburgh- 20mph limit

Changes- footway parking enforcement

Member’s Bill proposal in Scottish Parliament 2010-11 30 MSPs from all party supported proposal.123 responses 83% in favour19 LAs responded:, 7 supportive. 10 supportive with reservations

Photo: Oxfordshire Living Streets

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25952912@N02/2584228874/

• 2008/9 CAPS public consultation

–6000+ responses calling for:

–Better routes, both on-road off-road &

segregated;

–Drivers giving more room;

–Fewer car parking spaces at the

destination;

–Traffic-free routes.

Research undertaken during the development of CAPS

established

•That most, if not all, locations in which growth in cycling has

been seen have invested in enhancements of cycle route

infrastructure of some kind

•That promotional activity of various kinds has helped to boost

significantly the impact of investment in engineering

•That an incremental approach to investment (spending

modestly and seeing good returns as a means to take the next

step) can work well in locations where funds are scarce and

cycling does not occupy the highest position in policy terms

CAPS looks to build on emerging successes such as:

• the modal share for commuting in Edinburgh

(4.9%);

•cycling to school in Highland (7.6%), East Lothian

(6.6%) & Orkney (5.3%);

•Social marketing campaigns, such as Give Me Cycle

Space; and,

•Events like freshnlo Pedal for Scotland and Sky Ride

Our vision is that “By 2020, 10% of all

journeys taken in Scotland will be by bike.”

•Vision supported by a Framework for Delivering

More Cycling

–Skills Development

–The Network

–Delivery

Key Actions to come from CAPS are:

•Cycle Training

– Re-launched with additional support as ‘Bikeability Scotland’,

supported by Cycle Training Standards and Delivery Group

•Complete the missing links in the National Cycle Network in

Scotland

– Led by Sustrans through the Community Links programme

•Cycling Scotland has set up the CAPS Delivery Forum.

– Membership includes all LAs, SCOTS, Transport Scotland, the

National Parks, Sustrans and Cycling Scotland

Thanks for listening

[email protected]

0131 243 2645

www.livingstreets.org.uk/scotland

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/scotland

transport and health – living streets in scotland keith irving living streets scotland manager

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