“Streets for Everyone? Inclusive Places for Walking, Wheeling and Cycling in our Cities and Towns”
Zoe Banks Gross (17 November 2024)
Our public space is dominated by roads and cars. Up to 80% of our public space in cities and towns is the road network, much of which is used to store cars, vans and SUVS (that are also growing in size each year), which sit still over 96% of the time. The tendency to prioritize cars skews policy towards reinforcing old standards of mobility whilst disadvantaging those who may already be in transport poverty, namely women, younger people, and older people. Walking, cycling and/or using public transport may not be a choice, but rather the only option some have to move around their cities and towns. When these modes of transport are under-recognised, those who rely upon them become further marginalized.
Transport systems that prioritize private cars as society’s main mode of mobility favor inefficient ways of moving people and goods while exacerbating the climate crisis and entrenching injustices of economic, racial, and gendered power. The inequalities of automobility are interrelated, we need to bring an intersectional perspective to creating equitable policies for public space to work towards a just, fair transition. The stakes for enabling greener and more just ways of getting around, in other words, couldn’t really be higher. In such a context, the work of activists and organizations seeking to gather data and devise policy in the transport sector is of upmost importance.
As an individual, I became an accidental activist in 2014 and 8 years later began to work (intentionally) in the transport sector at Sustrans, a UK charity that works for and with communities to help make walking, wheeling, and cycling integral aspects of healthier places and happier lives for everyone. In this post, I will survey some of Sustrans’ work on representation and social justice before focusing on the example of Bristol, where I have worked as an activist in the past and where the positive impact of improved transport initiatives is being felt on the ground. When multiple modes of mobility are prioritized, communities and individuals who make use of them can thrive.
Sustrans began in Bristol in the late 1970s, creating the first traffic free route from a disused railway line between Bristol and Bath. Since then, it has expanded the National Cycle Network as well as worked in cities and towns to improve walkability, increase cycling and improve the infrastructure for active mobility.
Following the example of Copenhagen, since 2015, Sustrans has worked with cities including Bristol to measure cycling and walking journeys every two years with independent surveys. Originally there were eight cities participating, now there are 23 across the UK and Ireland, and an aggregate report is produced. The initial document was called Bike Life, but since 2021, it is known as the Walking and Cycling Index. In addition to data collected on active travel, there are questions about use of public transport and car use.
The Index provides a wealth of data not only on attitudes, but also behaviours of real people. This can be used to support more equitable policy development or simply demonstrate that though some of the voices we hear from that oppose traffic calming measures, they are not very representative. It is also an excellent measuring stick which can capture the change over time in mobility choice and infrastructure in cities.
Although we know that many people who drive are attached to their cars, in Sustrans Aggregate (23 city) Walking and Cycling Index, March 2024, residents were asked what types of transport they would like to use more or less in the future, and many people want to use sustainable forms more and cars less.
Walking and Cycling Index, Aggregate Report, pub 2024
Improving the ability to walk, wheel and/or cycle in our cities and towns is a vital part of a fair transition to a lower carbon future. Currently, inclusive design is not yet a standard element of designing new developments or even retrofitting older parts of cities and towns. Considering whether a route is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or mobility scooter, whether pavements are free of car parking, or if there is adequate lighting to address safety concerns of women, are some steps in the direction of creating inclusive design for the future. Additional areas of focus include whether the design facilitates movement for small children, the elderly, or people with disabilities, for example including benches or other places to stop and rest at regular intervals.
Bristol is one of the cities which has been participating in the Walking and Cycling Index research since 2015. The most recent Walking and Cycling Index surveys were carried out in 2023. Published in 2024, the data from 23 cities is available in individual city reports, there is also an aggregate report, and the data can also be queried via a dashboard tool. The index data is important for places and people:
• It helps places to understand behaviours, barriers and motivations of residents
• It gives people, especially disadvantaged groups, a voice in how their area is designed
• It supports places to secure investment and deliver change
• It can measure and track progress, transparently bringing the community with along
The Index data comprises the following which can be accessed using the data tool :
• What People Think – attitudes towards walking, wheeling and cycling
• What People Do – explores walking, wheeling and cycling behaviours
• City Data – a range of measures of the environment for active travel
• Trips Data – estimates of the total amounts of walking and cycling for utility or leisure or fitness
• Benefits Data – measures of the economic, health and environmental benefits of walking, wheeling and cycling
The Index data provides a wealth of independent evidence and is a useful metric to evaluate progress in cities. Collecting and using this data has helped Index cities validate projects and demonstrate their ambition. Even if the city you are in is not an Index city, the data may still be useful to compare similarly sized cities with similar demographics.
Sustrans has recently worked with partners on research to uncover what mobility needs often under-represented groups have. Transport to Thrive, where Sustrans worked with University of the West of England to research with young people across the country looking into the modes of transport they rely on and what would make accessing education and employment opportunities easier. Access to inexpensive public transport as well as active travel are important for this demographic.
Transport for All and Sustrans carried out research published in the Disabled Citizens Inquiry (February 2023.) In depth interviews and focus groups addressed the issues that disabled people face regarding transport and developed policy recommendations.
Collaborative Design
As in the above projects, Sustrans values using a co-design approach. Urban design which takes on board views from often unheard groups can create spaces which are easier to access, feel more welcoming, and consider the needs of those historically excluded. To create streets and public spaces that are more equitable, we need to better reflect the general population when designing these spaces. Involving local people in processes to shape the way their neighbourhood can look and feel is fairer than imposing solutions from the top down.
We use an approach that is based on human centred design:
Co-discover. A process of discovery to uncover issues and needs in the community, together
• Co-design. An ‘iterative’ design process with back and-forth design development, rather than a ‘big reveal’
• Co-deliver. Working to help communities to create opportunities for local people. Involving them in implementing any changes wherever possible
Making Changes in Bristol, as an Activist
In 2014 I founded East Bristol Kidical Mass, a family cycling group designed to help parents, primarily mothers, get back onto their bicycles with their young children. I led fortnightly bike rides and offered the use of bikes to join the rides. Working with a local healthy living centre, and Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) money, I added a Dutch cargo bike, a number of child seats and a trailer to a bike library, allowing families to trial different ways of carrying small children whilst cycling.
In the development of this project I became aware of the stark health inequalities in Bristol, as well as the fact that many women living in my community had never learned to cycle, which inadvertently excluded them from participating in Kidical Mass bike rides. I became a cycle instructor, teaching dozens of women from Afro-Caribbean and Southeast Asian communities. Some of these mums eventually joined the Kidical Mass rides, and in the second year of the project, I received funding to trial basic cycle skill training for reception age (4 and 5 year old) children and their mums in a school in East Bristol. That iteration of the project included new, lightweight bikes for small kids to use as well as lightweight, attractive bikes for women to try whilst learning as some women didn’t want to use mountain bikes or hybrids which were clearly designed for men. Additional refresher sessions which entailed a led ride for mums, without their children, were also popular, as some women needed to regain confidence on their own before adding the weight of a small child to the bike. Although the LSTF funding stream ceased to exist after 2016, regular Kidical Mass rides continued to be led by volunteers up until the 2020 pandemic.
When I started the project, the only cargo bike I saw on the streets of Bristol was the one belonging to the project. Now there are multiple versions of cargo bikes with women and men regularly carrying children from babies to secondary school age which is delightful. The normalisation of using active travel for trips around the city, leisure or utility, plays a role in making it more attractive to everyone.
Making Changes in Bristol, as an Organisation
In adapting to the climate emergency, as well as addressing the public health crises in the UK, working with under-represented groups is key to ensuring that fair, accessible solutions are developed. In Bristol, the NCN 4 aka Bristol and Bath Railway Path, has a high volume of users including families on the school run, commuting cyclists, dog walkers and runners. Some points on the path were very constrained which occasionally led to conflict between users. Sustrans received funding to make improvements on this stretch and carried out extensive engagement with the community in the area. This included sessions at a local community centre, online options, and other local venues.
Showing the variety of “wants” from this path.
Balancing the need to move a large volume of people with different needs within the active travel users was challenging. Increased benches and seating has been added throughout the 1.5 mile stretch. Additionally, thermoplastic patterns co-designed by local schoolchildren have been placed along this stretch to help remind people that this is a stretch which may be used for play, as well as dwelling space, not just a corridor to move quickly.
Projects such as the One path initiative on the Railway Path as well as initiatives led by local activists may, in part, be part of why Bristol has comparatively higher levels of women cycling than any other Index city. Aggregated, the percentage of women who say they cycle regularly is 10% versus 21% of men. In Bristol, 19% of women say they cycle regularly versus 38% of men. We still need to address the gender gap in cycling in Bristol, but other cities have much further to go. There is potential to improve health, address the climate emergency and also facilitate women getting much needed physical activity by further increasing cycling and decreasing the gap in gender and address other intersectional barriers to active travel.
Ensuring that lesser-heard voices play a role in creating transport and spatial policies for our towns and cities is key to ensuring an inclusive future where everyone, regardless of age, gender, background or disability can easily access outdoor spaces. Without changing our approach to planning, many people will continue to experience exclusion, isolation and be unable to participate economically or in education opportunities.
Newly segregated stretch of the Path with patterns
Sustrans is committed to engaging with communities and amplifying voices that are often unheard. Giving residents agency and the ability to be involved in changes to their public realm can make the public realm space not just designed for city planners, but one designed for all ages, people with disabilities, from a range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
For further information see:
https://activetravelstudies.org/
https://www.ecehh.org/research/disability-inclusive-climate-action/
Zoe Banks Gross is the Head of Partnerships and Public Affairs for England South at Sustrans. She has over 20 years professional experience, the bulk of which in environmental management and community engagement. She's interested in the intersections between public health, social justice and sustainability. She is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and is keen to see the built and natural environment be areas which are not only easily accessible, but better designed for everyone.
This piece was initially presented at a workshop held by the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health at the University of Exeter (hybrid) on 4-5 July 2024. It was supported by Wellcome Trust Centre Grant [203109/Z/16/Z] and explored “Everyday Mobilities: Social, Cultural, and Environmental Perspectives on Getting Around.” (You can see event recordings here - day 1; day 2.). In recent years, daily travel - especially in urban spaces - has been increasingly politicised. Concerns about the climate emergency, air pollution, and inequities of health and risk exposures have shifted discussions about everyday mobility, simultaneously producing new policy thinking, planning experiments, activist movements, and public backlash. This workshop explored these developments, examining the social relations, cultural frames, and environmental concerns with which everyday travel has become entangled in different local, national, and transnational contexts, as well as attending to the varied histories and possible futures of "getting around”. The "Everyday Mobilities” series on M&M is a first step towards the establishment of an Everyday Mobilities interdisciplinary network bringing together scholars, practitioners and campaigners.