active travel zone assessment

Developers Guide to Active Travel Zone Assessment

• 11 th August 2022

'Healthy Streets' and 'Active Travel Zone' are familiar buzz words in the planning process, but conducting a full ATZ assessment to TfL guidelines can often be seen as an onerous and expensive task. The below guide assists with conducting an Active Travel Zone Assessment in a cost effective way.

Active travel plays a key role in the planning decision making process. In London, accommodating pedestrians from all walks of life and choosing walking, cycle and public transport are key indicators of the Healthy Streets Approach.   The   Mayer Brown Ltd  ‘Developers Guide to Active Travel Zone Assessment’ offers a cost effective approach to auditing key routes for active travel to provide targeted streetscape improvements for development planning.

We have extensive experience in conducting both high level and full ATZ assessments so please get in touch with us by filling our our contact form or calling 01483 750508.

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Active Travel England: planning application assessment toolkit

Allows local planning authorities to gather evidence and assess the active travel merits for a development proposal.

Applies to England

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Active Travel England planning application assessment toolkit: checklist user manual

PDF , 555 KB , 29 pages

The planning application assessment toolkit helps to gather evidence and assess the active travel merits – walking, wheeling and cycling – of a development proposal. It should be used by local authority planning and transport officers in conjunction with the applicant.

When making a planning application assessment, you should also refer to:

• Active Travel England: development management
• Active Travel England: sustainable development advice notes

A user manual and a tutorial video have been produced to help you understand how to complete the assessment.

Active Travel England planning toolkit tutorial video

The planning application assessment toolkit has been updated.

First published.

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Policies to Promote Active Travel: Evidence from Reviews of the Literature

• Built Environment and Health (MJ Nieuwenhuijsen and AJ de Nazelle, Section Editors)
• Published: 10 July 2017
• Volume 4 , pages 278–285, ( 2017 )

Cite this article

• Meghan Winters 1 ,
• Ralph Buehler 2 &
• Thomas Götschi 3  

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103 Citations

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Purpose of review

While many levels of government recognize that walking and cycling (active travel) are critical to healthy cities, a continued challenge is to identify and prioritize strategies that will increase walking and cycling for transportation. We review evidence on policies that can increase active travel.

Recent findings

The reviews included here conclude that policies related to active travel may operate at various levels of the socio-ecological framework, including society, cities, routes or individuals. The provision of convenient, safe and connected walking and cycling infrastructure is at the core of promoting active travel, but policies may work best when implemented in comprehensive packages.

There is strong evidence that active travel can result in substantial health benefits. However, there remains considerable uncertainty about the exact effects of specific policies on walking or cycling rates or safety. Further research is needed to quantify the impact of specific policies or packages of policies, especially across different settings or for different population segments.

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Towards a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior: a Review and Synthesis of Published Frameworks

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Acknowledgments

This manuscript is based on a research brief prepared by the authors for Active Living Research, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We would like to acknowledge Prabhu Ponkshe, Jim Sallis, David R. Bassett, Jr., Sean Co, Ruth L. Steiner and other Robert Wood Johnson staff for their valuable feedback and contributions as part of the research brief. We also acknowledge Kyle Lukacs for his help collecting and organizing the literature and thank the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech for financially supporting Lukacs’ work. We also acknowledge Moreno Zanotto for assistance with manuscript preparation.

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Meghan Winters

School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech, 1021 Prince Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA, 22301, USA

Ralph Buehler

Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, CH-8001, Zurich, Switzerland

Thomas Götschi

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Correspondence to Meghan Winters .

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Meghan Winters, Thomas Götschi and Ralph Buehler declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Winters, M., Buehler, R. & Götschi, T. Policies to Promote Active Travel: Evidence from Reviews of the Literature. Curr Envir Health Rpt 4 , 278–285 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-017-0148-x

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Issue Date : September 2017

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-017-0148-x

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Active Travel England set to become Statutory Planning Consultee from 1st June 2023

10 May 2023

In July 2020 the Government published ‘Gear Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking’.  Within this paper the Government set out a clear vision for England’s Transport System:

“Places will be truly walkable. A travel revolution in our streets, towns and communities will have made cycling a mass form of transit. Cycling and walking will be the natural first choice for many journeys with half of all journeys in towns and cities being cycled or walked by 2030.”

The aim of this vision is to address some of the most challenging issues we face as a society – improving air quality, combatting climate change, improving health and wellbeing, addressing inequalities and tackling congestion on our roads.

To achieve this vision, the Government recognised that we need to ensure that active travel is embedded in wider policy making. In order to do this they have set up a new commissioning body and inspectorate called Active Travel England. Active Travel England’s role includes the following:

• Holding the budget for new schemes;
• Inspecting and approving schemes;
• Training, good practice and knowledge sharing;
• Inspecting highway authorities; and
• Reviewing major planning applications.

Which developments will be effected?

From 1st June 2023, Active Travel England will become a statutory consultee on all planning applications above certain thresholds. These thresholds are:

• 150 dwellings or more;
• Mixed-use or commercial developments with a floor space of 7,500sq.m or more; or
• Where the overall area of the development is 5 hectares or more.

The requirement for considering, integrating and prioritising walking and cycling needs as part of new development layouts and the local area will become more and more important in the coming years, as the government strives to achieve its net-zero targets by 2050.

Whilst Active Travel England will only be required to comment on developments meeting or exceeding the above thresholds, Local Highway Authorities are expected to put a greater emphasis on the prioritisation of active travel when commenting on all developments.

What will these changes mean for developers?

The upcoming change in legislation will mean that developers will need to ensure that their development prioritises Active Travel inside and out. Above all, developments will need to be planned and designed in accordance with the latest guidance documents, including LTN 1/20 (Cycle Infrastructure Design), which states that routes need to be:

• Comfortable; and
• Attractive.

In addition to these 5 core design principles every scheme will need to be inclusive and accessible to all, particularly vulnerable road users, and receive support from the local community.

Active Travel England (ATE), as consultee, may ask for plans demonstrating how these core design principles will be achieved. For larger developments, a specialist Active Travel assessment document may also be requested, to explain to ATE how the development achieves these principles.

LTN 1/20 provides assessment tools in the form of the Cycling Level of Service (CLoS) and Junction Assessment Tool (JAT). These assessment tools, along with Active Travel Zone Assessments, Road Safety Audits and Access Audits may become standard requirements where walking and cycling infrastructure is being proposed.

At Patrick Parsons, we have undertaken dozens of Active Travel Zone Assessments for sites in London, as well as designing innovative walking and cycling routes across the country.  These have included the design of priority cycle crossings and continuous crossings at junctions, including “Dutch style” crossings.

If you have any queries on the upcoming changes, or need assistance on future planning applications which may be affected, please get in touch .

The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)

Explanatory Memorandum To The Town And Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) (Amendment) Order 2023

Cycle Infrastructure Design Local Transport Note 1/20

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Home » Blog » How Will the New Active Travel Assessment Impact England?

How Will the New Active Travel Assessment Impact England?

• March 23, 2023
• News , Policy

Will this lead to tree-lined cycling and walking routes?

Active Travel England, the recently formed government’s executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling, and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around in England, has finally published local authority active travel capability ratings.

It follows on from the government’s vision for cycling and walking set out in its 2020 strategy According to the strategy, physical inactivity alone was found to be costing the NHS up to £1bn per annum.

To tackle these issues, a bold vision was set for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by the year 2030.

The active travel capability ratings are based on an earlier self-assessment and involve English local authorities outside London. The ratings guide the initial allocation of Active Travel and Capability Funding, such as the £200 million announced last month. 

“Done well, active travel provision creates attractive, healthy places where people want to live and invest, benefiting local economies and returning very high value for money, “ says Danny Williams – CEO of Active Travel England in his foreword introducing the new local authority active travel capability ratings .

The capability ratings generated through a local authorities self-assessment focused on three areas: 1) local leadership; 2) plans; and 3) delivery record. Thus falling short in assessing how local authorities are meeting their climate change obligations and maximising opportunities for greening and concurrently cooling our towns and cities.

This is in spite of the 2020 government strategy clearly setting out the benefits of cycling and walking when it comes to combatting climate change; improving air quality and thus preventing 8,300 premature deaths each year ; as well as providing opportunities to improve green spaces and biodiversity.

The health and environmental benefits are also recognised in the government’s latest document, the second cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS2), which references the government’s 25-year environment plan.

With reports of government funding less than initially expected there remains a glimmer of hope that not only will half of all journeys in towns and cities be cycled or walked by the year 2030. But these activities will take place along tree-lined green and pleasant routes that will contribute to improving our health and well-being whilst making space for nature to thrive.

Looking for Green and Blue Inspiration?

GreenBlue Urban has a wealth of examples of implementing blue and green infrastructure in the urban environment including the creation of green and leafy tree-lined cycle and walking routes:

The key is involvement in the master planning stage where GBU have supported the design and successful implementation, clearly evident at Wapping Wharf , which transformed a much-loved section of Bristol City, The design included green corridors to enhance pedestrian footfall and cycleways for active travel, allowing this area to become socially inclusive for all.

Leonard Circus is a well-documented “shared space” project with the London Borough of Hackney, the well established 11 trees planted in GBU’s ArbrSystem have proved to not only be aesthetically pleasing for passers-by on foot and bicycle but provided a welcome backdrop to market day with onsite seating for all to enjoy.

Sauchiehall Street is the pilot scheme to showcase how green infrastructure can be used to change human behaviour by challenging the dominance of vehicles in the public realm. Twenty-eight specimen trees have been planted in full  GreenBlue Urban   ArborSystems , providing strong visual segregation between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists.

Walthamstow High Street – a multi-award-winning “Mixed-use” High Street, having achieved the Planning & Placemaking Award 2016 is now equipped for the latest phase of its history, and as the green infrastructure matures, it will be providing mitigation to climate change, both cooling and stormwater management through the healthy canopy over, for generations to come.

We would like to hear from you – Do you prefer to cycle and walk along routes lined with trees? Tell us why on social @GreenBlueUrban using#Activetravel.

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The Healthy Streets Approach: What Does This Mean for Transport Assessments?

Urban Designer

United Kingdom

Marta is an Associate Urban Designer at SYSTRA with a strong interest in creating people-centred environments. With a background in architecture, Marta specialises in streets and public realm design, from strategy to implementation – translating policy and aspirations into context-specific responses that reflect the needs and desires of the local community. Marta is particularly interested in how people interact with their surroundings and how well-designed spaces can have a positive impact on their lives.

Healthy Streets as a concept was introduced into London planning policy in 2014 and has since developed into a recognised design approach for streets. The vision links the physical design of the street with both transport and health matters, promoting the uptake of active travel and places an individual’s well-being within and experience of the urban environment at the core of planning the city.

Streets can be used in place-making strategies to form spaces where Londoners interact, where children play, where individuals shop, work and travel and where daily life is the fundamental element. As 80% of Londoners’ trips are undertaken completely on streets, high quality design will have a significant impact on improving quality of the life. Despite this, many streets are still dominated by a ‘road’ mindset intended for vehicles and this is where the Healthy Streets Approach is designed to make a difference.

THE POLICY CONTEXT

As outlined in the Draft New London Plan (2018) and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (2018), the Healthy Streets Approach is designed to improve personal health and reduce health inequalities through promoting active, sustainable travel throughout the capital.

SYSTRA’s approach is to respond more directly to the urban fabric and quality, using real journey data, and to represent that information not just as a series of scores but as a visual matrix, a map of interconnectivity by time. This is a far more intuitive approach than just another ‘data-in-data out’ black box. Using the matrix map, all stakeholders can more easily envisage where facilities might need to be enhanced, a street pattern altered, or a constraint such as a railway line overcome

It situates transport as part of the fabric of a place rather than just another structure within it. It is a way of thinking about places, not simply a tool for ordering priorities. Tools like these can help address thorny problems such as how to masterplan for 20-minute communities in developments that have to scale up in stages, sometimes from an initial development of tens of dwellings to a final development of thousands. They situate the process in a framework that is always focussed on place-building no matter how powerful the counter currents of other commercial incentives might be at any stage of the project. It is only by keeping that idea of place alive at all times that we can avoid the mistakes of the past, mistakes that will be paid for the negative impact of climate change.

Jane Jacobs, a journalist, activist and campaigner credited with saving New York’s Greenwich village from the highway-centred developers of the 70s, described cities as ‘immense laboratories of trial and error, failure and success’. Less pithy than Shakespeare, perhaps, but driving at the same thing. Successful cities and towns are formed over time in response to the needs of their populations and that is where they get their energy and life

Not everything works; and that is OK if there is space to respond and to change and learn from the mistakes of the past. The 20-minute community builds in that space if we do it right. We all live in our own separate geographies and these are layered and overlapping. The 20-minute community doesn’t lock anyone into a single mode of life but adds layers to the fabric.

THE CAR LOSES ITS DOMINANCE

The car loses its dominance but doesn’t disappear. In fact, even drivers gain when more people choose to cycle and walk as congestion decreases along with all its stress. Some people will always rely on their car, of course. Yet, how we use cars will change over time, car ownership may reduce outside of cities too as we begin to hire or share cars more, as proven in our larger cities. Electric vehicles and how we charge them will be part of the future transport mix. But if we can build places that tempt people out of their cars instead of only coercing them, we can turn the energies that are currently being wasted on campaigning against LTNs and temporary bike lanes into something positive.

We can open the door to the discovery of advantages that go far beyond the gains in health that a more active and less polluted life brings. We can highlight the deeper social and emotional connection with home. The pleasures and excitement of chance meetings and discoveries. The simple joy of more human connections – and more opportunities to live our lives.

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Now more than ever there is an imperative for local authorities to plan for active travel in their areas.

The active streets assessment tool allows for rapid analysis of road features and characteristics in your area to support new infrastructure and street design..

Why use active streets?

Selecting appropriate areas for different measures is challenging..

It requires access to the most reliable data possible. This is why we have developed the Active Streets Assessment Tool, using our experience in transport data and delivering analytical tools into the hands of those that need them.

How it works

A simple, online platform..

But it includes incredible levels of detail for individual road segments on the Ordnance Survey Master Map roads network, and is available within days of signing-up.

Inform your decisions

Start triaging your network in a matter of minutes..

The tool also includes pre-defined filters based on parameters set for active zones, cycle lanes, and segregated cycle infrastructure so you can quickly understand points of interest

What's included

Identifying appropriate locations for new segregated cycleways, footpaths, point closures, and area-wide measures can now be undertaken quickly and effectively using the new Active Streets Assessment Tool. This tool embraces detailed network infrastructure data from Ordnance Survey Master Map, enhanced with additional datasets for individual road sections including network flow, average speeds, 85th percentile speeds, modelled congestion, and collision history.

Online access

for up to four local users (extra users available on request) with annual license renewals.

for modern web browsers and mobile devices

OS Mastermap

Based on the highly-detailed OS Mastermap Highways network

Additional datasets

added including speed limits plus detailed profiles of average and 85th percentile speeds

Modelled AADF (flow)

for roads indicating traffic levels

Daily congestion index

including separate value for AM and PM peaks

Export data selections

to local systems for further analysis and modelling

Pedestrian traffic locations

Estimation of high-pedestrian traffic locations

5 years of collision data

including separate measure for pedestrian and cyclist collision densities

Multiple filters

based on road attributes including road widths, plus many of the calculated metrics

Birmingham City Council have used ASAT since September 2020 to help understand multiple datasets in a single tool which is then used by engineers in drawing up new schemes. It's also used with schools to help prioritise funding decisions using a scoring matrix. To find out more about how they use the tool and get inspiration for your own area, download the report here.

Watch the demonstration.

In this demonstration video data from Wokingham is used to demonstrate a number of examples of how this data can be used to effectively plan for active travel.

£4,595 per authority, per annum with up to 4 users

Dan Campsall

Creative Director

Dan's initial role in identifying the potential for the creation of a tool combining multiple data sources, deployed rapidly to end users, provided the initial spark for the project. His ongoing role is to provide direction to the development team in areas of design and visualisation, and to work with clients to ensure the interface is intuitive.

Richard Owen

Project Director

With extensive experience of using and understanding the datasets, Richard provided the brief to the development team and worked extensively alongside our pioneer authorities to ensure the outputs met their requirements. He is now leading client communications including hosting demonstrations and webinars.

Craig Smith

Data Scientist

As Agilysis' lead on reproducible analytical platforms and app development using R and Shiny, Craig has spearheaded the development of the platform. His focus has been split between ensuring the application works quickly in an online environment, whilst ensuring the data architecture is structured to allow fast deployment to new clients.

Steve Ferris

Local Authority Contact

From the outset, Steve has worked directly with the pioneering authorities to understand their requirements and ensure the system is user-friendly and easy to understand. He is now actively engaging with potential new users and explaining how the system can be used to rapidly identify new active travel zones and corridors.

• 27 Horse Fair, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 0AE

01295 731811

[email protected]

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