Paving the Path to a Greener Future: Takeaways from the NLA 2023 Active Travel Summit
Physical inactivity costs the country 7.4 billion. London must cut car travel by at least 27% by 2030 to reach climate goals.
In his Transport Strategy, the Mayor of London set out a target that by 2041, 80% of all journeys will be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport. With the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) due to expand across London from August 29th, the connectivity between inner and outer London is increasingly important, and creating infrastructure and opportunities for active travel will be core to the strategy.
Hadley's Director of Communications and Partnerships Matt Griffiths-Rimmer joined a panel at this year's NLA Active Travel Summit at the London Centre. The topic of discussion focused on how we can prioritise communities when it comes to access to active travel and ensure the delivery of human-centred transport planning.
Nearly half of London streets are now at a 20 MPH speed limit, but we still have a long way to go to reach our goals. What is the impact of ULEZ expansion, and how does active travel contribute to a cohesive policy package that mitigates car dependency?
“We’ve spent the last 6-7 years trying to improve access to active travel across our schemes. We take it to the people, making involvement as easy and as simple as possible. It’s really important to find the right process and make sure we work across sectors. Through the partnerships we’ve made, we’ve been able to offer access to social memberships and free trials to residents in the areas and communities we work in. Our aim is to bring about real behaviour change and encourage cross-borough connection and collaboration".
“Once something changes, people get on board and, after all, we need to move faster to meet our net zero goals” - Leo Murrey, Co-Founder of Innovation at the climate action charity Possible.
Although advancements have been clear in previous years, as with the Government's Gear Change and Active Travel Fund in 2020, facilitating the rapid implementation of LTNs during the pandemic, we still have a long way to go. In a recent article, NLA co-founder Peter Murrey OBE asked if we are ‘pedalling in the wrong direction’, when it comes to active travel advancements. It is now more important than ever to prioritise the development and implementation of affordable active travel infrastructure.
At Hadley, we're committed to activating our sites and driving down emissions by promoting active, affordable and sustainable travel options.
Our latest sustainable transport hub, and supporting management and access app Go Stratford, is launching soon at our Stratford Site, IQL North. Go Stratford is the first sustainable transport app to be designed by a real estate developer, and will offer over 5,000 free hours worth of cycle hire and use of electric vehicles for residents across the Borough and beyond. Not only does the app show you distances and routes to and from your destination, but it also highlights the exact carbon emissions saved on your journey by travelling this way. A cross-sector partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Brompton, Enterprise and Mobilleo, stay tuned for updates on this exciting next iteration of our evolving meanwhile offering in Stratford.
Thanks to the NLA for another insightful Summit. We look forward to continuing many of these discussions, sharing insights, ideas and best practices in order to help make these necessary changes.
Watch this space!
