Thread:
Why is building infrastructure & delivering schemes to enable more people to walk & cycle safely so vital?

Quite simply we are running out of space for vehicle journeys on our roads.

In 2019, South Yorkshire saw 7.59 billion vehicle journeys.

Compare that to 2009...
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The increase over 10 years has been significant, as these graphics for each authority show.

Unless safe & attractive alternatives to driving are provided the rate of increase won’t slow, let alone reverse as is urgently needed in many towns & cities.
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If you have experienced an increase in journey time or it seems like you are constantly waiting in traffic queues, then these figures explain why.

For those who live in previously quiet streets, the increase is due to these vehicle journeys spilling over from main routes...
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...as people look to save time & try & get ahead of the queue they’ve inevitably joined.

In @SheffCityRegion 40% of journeys to work of 1km or less are driven & even though some of these may now be working from home, with less public transport capacity for other trips....
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....there’s still a lot of vehicles on the road going very short distances.

Reasons why?

• walking/cycling doesn’t feel safe
• it’s more convenient to drive
• multiple short trips adding up to longer
• carrying stuff

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All valid reasons, but many of these short trips could be switched to walking or cycling if it was safer & more attractive than the alternative of sitting in traffic.

Active travel lanes, safe & direct crossings with minimal delay for pedestrians, fewer vehicles on roads...
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...no vehicles on pavements, secure bike parking, accessible routes for every type of bike from a trike to a cargo bike, availability of e-bikes, bike hire schemes, a seamless link from other transport modes & easily accessed maintenance options, are just some reasons...
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...that active travel needs serious & continued investment but also the support of everyone affected by this greater volume of traffic.

It’ll take time to build enough infrastructure to create a comprehensive network, so in the meantime we need to ensure we don’t increase...
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...these figures any more. Treat those out walking & cycling like royalty, as each person is likely one less vehicle on the road. Don’t assume every person on a bike will behave the same way as that one person you witnessed doing something they shouldn’t have a few days ago.
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There is bad behaviour in all modes, but that’s not a reason to stop investing in making it easier to cycle or walk to the shops, school, a local appointment or work.

Building for more sustainable modes of travel is the best way we can stop places becoming gridlocked.
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And while social distancing is needed, cycling & walking short trips is our best option.

We’ll also improve health if people can drive less, as they won’t need to find time to exercise quite as much. A fitter & healthier population reduces cost to the health service too.
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Everyone benefits from fewer vehicle journeys, especially those who live in the harder to reach places, as they’ll arrive in an urban area & finally have more choice on how they complete that trip.

The result of prioritising vehicle journeys just encourages more to be made.
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If you’d like to check out the stats for your area & look in more detail at the growth of vehicle journeys then look here https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/local-authorities
There’s no magic wand to make this go away quickly but we can leave our children a far better world if we address this now.
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