Local measures to promote walking and cycling

Summary

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published draft guidance called Walking and Cycling: Local Measures to Promote Walking and Cycling as Forms of Travel or Recreation. The guidance makes 10 recommendations:

1. involve public health professionals: ensure a senior member of the public health team is responsible for promoting both walking and cycling

2. ensure all relevant policies and plans consider walking and cycling

3. local activities: develop coordinated, cross-sector programmes to promote walking and cycling for recreation as well as for transport

4. develop personalised travel plans

5. cycling: implement town-wide programmes to promote cycling for any purpose

6. walking (1): develop programmes to encourage inactive adults and children to walk

7. walking (2): provide individual support including the use of pedometers

8. schools: foster a culture that supports physically active travel for journeys to school (for staff, parents and students) and during the school day

9. workplaces: develop strategies in consultation with staff and others to promote walking and cycling to, in and around workplaces

10. NHS: incorporate information on walking and cycling into physical activity advice given by health professionals

The guidance doesn’t make any recommendations about environmental changes as these are covered by existing NICE guidance on physical activity and the environment.

The draft guidance is targeted at commissioners, managers and practitioners who promote physical activity or work in environment, parks and leisure or transport planning. Often these people will be elected members or council officers. The guidance is also relevant for other local authority staff including estate managers, highways authorities’ employees, planners and officers responsible for workplace travel and carbon reduction plans.