Blog

Meeting with Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, Active Travel England

Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, Active Travel England

Key Themes

1. Government Spending Review & Opportunity
   • First zero-based spending review in years.
   • Chance to reconfigure funding priorities and ensure active travel is valued across departments (health, housing, transport, welfare, etc.).
2. Active Travel England’s Role & Progress
   • Arms-length body improving local authorities’ capability to deliver schemes.
   • Reduced delivery times for infrastructure projects by half in 2 years.
   • Introduced capability ratings for councils (helping weaker ones improve).
   • Strong backing from the Department for Transport.
3. Cross-Departmental Impact
   • Active travel touches multiple agendas: decarbonisation, public health, welfare reform, housing delivery.
   • Push for a national inactivity strategy involving multiple agencies (Sport England, DCMS, NHS, etc.).
   • Chief Medical Officer supportive; roundtables being organised across government.
4. Devolution & Local Authorities
   • Strong role for mayors and combined authorities (e.g., Andy Burnham in Manchester).
   • Active travel framed as a cost-saving solution (e.g., reducing collision costs, NHS burden from inactivity).
   • Councils being trained and upskilled; some resistance but progress seen.
5. Policing & Safety

Police should focus on those causing the most harm, but intimidation (including from cyclists) must be addressed.

1. Social Inclusion
   • Need to design with disabled users and vulnerable groups in mind.
   • Consultation with RNIB, Transport for All, and disability reps on ATE’s board.
   • Recognising barriers like inaccessible kerbs, missing dropped curbs, and poor countryside access.
2. Cycle Training & Pay Issues
   • Desire to make bike riding a universal life skill (like swimming).
   • Problem: low pay and retention of instructors.
   • Responsibility currently lies with local authorities, but issue flagged as serious.
3. Data, Evidence & Narrative
   • Government wants economic growth framing – need to present active travel as delivering returns:
     • More productivity
     • Reduced sick days
     • Lower GP visits
   • Communication should focus on personal/family outcomes (e.g., kids’ independence, safer streets, lower car insurance), not just health/decarbonisation.
4. Future Vision
   • Push for national inactivity strategy to unify efforts.
   • Mentoring between advanced and new combined authorities.
   • Broader culture change so active travel becomes “how we do streets” by default.