Active Travel & Health

The Working Group on Active Travel & Health is dedicated to preserving walking, wheeling, and cycling as integral parts of mobility systems while considering interactions with urban planning, environment and health.

The Working Group on Active Travel & Health is dedicated to preserving walking, wheeling, and cycling as integral parts of mobility systems while also considering their various interactions with urban planning, the environment, and health.

At its core, the Working Group aims to foster discussions and exchange knowledge on strategies and measures that prioritise active modes of transport. The overarching goal is to facilitate a more equitable distribution of public space, thereby improving the quality of life for everyone.

Shifting the priority to active modes is a process that demands bold actions and strategically leveraging opportunities and integration between different mobility players. Throughout various meetings and workshops, the working group provides a platform to approach active travel as a horizontal issue, exploring the linkages with other areas that strengthen the potential and benefits of active modes for more sustainable and inclusive mobility.

Central to this endeavour is highlighting the different health benefits associated with active travel: by embracing walking, wheeling, and cycling, individuals can contribute to their personal well-being first-hand, collectively contributing to healthier communities.

Moreover, the Working Group also places paramount importance on ensuring that active travel is not only accessible to all types of users but also provides a sense of freedom without compromising comfort. This means understanding inclusion beyond physical accessibility, drawing on a broader perspective that acknowledges diverse needs and preferences.

Through the group, POLIS partners with WHO’s Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) in the Partnership on Active Mobility, linking high-level strategy to regions and cities realities, the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance’s Community of Interest on Active Travel and DUT Driving Urban Transitions. By harnessing these collaborations, the working group ultimately aims to make active travel an integral and accessible part of daily life, promoting a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable future for all

Topic priorities for 2025

Our current topic priorities for 2025 are the following:

• Urban planning for active mobility: ‘city of proximity’, reallocation and design of public space, also looking into the suburban and rural dimension; the disconnect and inconsistency in planning and design regulations, guidelines, laws and policies across different levels (from national to local) that can hinder cities’ and regions’ ability to act; EU Cycling Declaration, national walking and cycling plans;
• Data for active modes: cooperation with the Traffic Efficiency Working Group on cycling data and start exploring data for walking;
• The role of active travel in multimodality and mobility planning;
• Orgware and Software for active modes: behavioural change and nudging campaigns and measures; interactions between cyclists and pedestrians;
• Active travel & health: leveraging involvement in HL4EU project; active travel in extreme weather conditions (harsh winters, heat waves, floods, etc.);
• Inclusivity, accessibility, safety, cycling diversity: link to the Social Climate Fund;
• Link with other topics beyond the mobility domain: active modes can only be addressed in tandem with urban planning and design, housing, and health.