Active Travel is making a journey by Walking, Cycling or similar sustainable modes (think skateboards, roller skates, non-motorised scooters).
Active Travel
What is Active Travel ?
You may have heard of the term “Active Travel” but what does it mean exactly?
To put simply, Active Travel is making a journey by Walking, Cycling or similar sustainable non-motorised modes. These journeys are usually short like walking to the shop or school and cycling to work.
It can be a hard task to leave our cars at home, but we can try to make small steps to change our habits. Next time you need a loaf of bread why not walk to the shop. Maybe dedicate one or two days a week where you walk or cycle to school with your children. If you do have to use your car, try to “Active Travel” for part of the journey.
Contact the team directly at ActiveTravel@waterfordcouncil.ie
Travel Smarter – Not Harder
What are the benefits of Active Travel ?
Our planet is under severe stress due to Climate Change and we can all play a part in making a change for the better. Active Travel is a great way to start.
Our roads and streets were originally designed and built for people. Over time we changed our thought process and designed for cars. Now our road networks cannot handle the volume of traffic. Even with more efficient cars we still cause a huge environmental impact through congestion and pollution.
But Active Travel is not just of benefit to our planet, it has a big effect on our people.
Physical & Mental Health improvements – Active Travel has clear benefits for us in terms of our physical health but also can improve our mental health. Spending that little bit more time outdoors can really keep us grounded.
Quicker Journeys – You’re not going to get from one end of the country to the other in a faster time than a car, but you might just get to work a bit quicker on a bike. Remember, short journeys are where you will see the big advantage.
Reduce Carbon Emissions – This is a big one if we are to save our planet from the effects of Climate Change. By reducing our car journeys, we can reduce pollution and make our public realms cleaner and healthier places to use.
Save Money – Walking is free! You can also make significant savings by using your bike instead of using expensive fuel in your car. The Bike to work scheme also provides tax relief for people who cycle to work.
Safer Routes to Schools – By encouraging our children to walk or cycle to school we can make a big impact on their safety and wellbeing. Congestion at the school gates is often a major issue but Active Travel can help to create safer access options.
Reduce Traffic Congestion – By leaving our cars at home we will greatly reduce congestion on our roads. We also create easier access to local shops and amenities to enjoy.
More Social Interaction – We tend to neglect our social health when we are isolated in our cars. Active Travel encourages more social interaction because we see more of each other on our journeys.
Types of Active Travel schemes
Active Travel projects are funded by the National Transport Authority and details of 2023 funding allocations can be found here. The types of schemes that will be delivered by Waterford City & County Council include:
- Safe Routes to School Programme (collaboration with Green-Schools).
- Improved/segregated cycle paths.
- Improved crossings for walking and cycling.
- Upgraded / new crossings.
- Permeability measures to support improved access within and between local communities.
- Continued development of our urban space towards prioritising sustainable travel
Mission Statement
The Active Travel programme will pursue the development and delivery of high-quality walking and cycling facilities for use by people of all age groups in our every-day travel.
The programme will proactively engage with the public, local interest groups, public service providers and public representatives to identify opportunities, developed ideas, deliver schemes and promote and encourage the use of these facilities in our day-to-day lives. The schemes delivered will aim to strengthen connections in communities, energise our public spaces and make walking and cycling attractive, safe and accessible to everyone.
The Active Travel programme will seek to contribute to tackling climate change by providing the opportunity to use “green” and sustainable transport options and integrate scheme designs with new and existing public transport systems.
