How does active travel improve child health?

There are more bicycles than people in The Netherlands, a country with a population of over 17 million. The country’s robust cycling infrastructure means that safety when cycling isn’t a question. Separated bike lanes and speed limits for cars means that you can get anywhere, safely, by bike. Active travel is built into the everyday Dutch culture.

Of course, even with physical interventions in place, accidents do still happen. In such instances, cyclists are protected by law. Article 185 of the Dutch Road Safety Code means the driver will usually be expected to cover at least 50% of the financial costs to the cyclist and their bike. The Dutch example shows how active travel, when supported by government with investment and legislation to ensure road safety, can thrive. But what exactly is active travel and why is it important? What are the benefits and how is it promoted in the UK?

Benefits of active travel

Active travel is choosing physically active ways, like walking or wheeling and cycling, as a mode of transport to make purposeful journeys. Choosing active travel for short journeys is an easy way to include physical activity in our day as opposed to making these journeys by car or public transport. In 2019 17% of journeys in Scotland were under one kilometre. These shorter trips offer an opportunity for a significant shift to active travel.

It is reported that teachers find pupils who cycle, walk or scoot to school arrive more relaxed, alert and ready to start the day than those who travel by car.

Increasing levels of physical activity has the potential to play a part in improving the nation’s health and wellbeing. Active travel is a form of exercise that can be easily integrated into daily life. For children, this could be walking to and from school. It is reported that teachers find pupils who cycle, walk or scoot to school arrive more relaxed, alert and ready to start the day compared to those who travel by car. Yet the proportion of children walking and cycling to school has been declining in England since 1995.

Childhood obesity is recognised as one of the biggest public health issues facing the UK, increasing the risk of developing a range of health conditions in childhood and later life. Obesity particularly affects children and young people in deprived areas, an inequality gap that is widening. Between 2018 and 2019, 24% of four to five-year-olds were overweight or obese, an increase in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since 2017. Whilst the drivers of child obesity are complex, active travel can provide part of the solution to reducing it.

Almost four times as many journeys as usual were being taken by bike at a point during the pandemic last year.

Investing in active travel can improve child health through environmental benefits too. With fewer cars on the road, and more people choosing to walk or cycle, reduced particulate matter and CO2 help improve air quality and tackle climate change. Children and young people are particularly affected by the health effects of climate change; air pollution affects neurodevelopment leading to lower cognitive test outcomes, it can stunt lung growth and function for children and younger people meaning irreversible damage that can lead to problems later in life such as heart and lung disease. Importantly, Children are at a lower risk of dangerous levels of air pollution walking or cycling than sitting in a car.

Road Safety

The popularity of cycling and walking were boosted due to the COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, with almost four times as many journeys as usual were being taken by bike at a point during the pandemic last year. However, safety is still a barrier and effective policy and infrastructure is needed to support this trend.

Globally, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years, with more than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. In 2017, the rate of road traffic injuries was 3.4 per 1,000 young people aged 17–19 years in England and Wales, and 2.8 per 1,000 in Scotland.

In general roads are planned without sufficient consideration of the specific needs of children.

Children are particularly at risk for road traffic injuries for a number of reasons. Because younger children are smaller, it can be difficult for children to see surrounding traffic and for drivers to see them. Children are still developing cognitively and socially, so their interpretation of signals and sounds and judgement making may be limited. As they grow older, children of adolescent age are especially prone to take risks, compromising their safety on the road. In general roads are planned without sufficient consideration of the specific needs of children.

How to encourage active travel

There are many improvements that can be made to mitigate these risks and improve the culture of active travel. For example, resourcing Local Authorities to expand 20mph zones within built up areas and provide a greater number of cycle lanes and pedestrian zones.

The change in legislation, investment in policy and committed funding are all ways to create safer active travel across the UK.

In July 2021, the UK transport secretary announced changes to the Highway Code, including putting pedestrians at the top of a new “road user hierarchy” meaning they have priority over cars at junctions and crossings; under the current code, motorists only have to give way when pedestrians step onto a crossing. This change comes alongside a £338 million funding package to boost cycling and walking, will help to sustain the increase in active travel during the pandemic.

Uniting the Movement, the 10-year strategy to make being physically active a normal part of life for everyone in England was launched this year. Scotland’s active travel framework aims to enable walking and cycling to be the most popular mode of travel for short, everyday journeys by 2030. The Active Travel Action Plan for Wales also aims to significantly increase the proportion of the population who walk or cycle for short journeys. In Northern Ireland, sustainable travel policies are promoting an increase in infrastructure, such as greenways, for cycling and walking.

The change in legislation, investment in policy and committed funding are all ways to create safer active travel across the UK. While far from bicycles outnumbering the population, it is a step, and a pedal, in the right direction.