Active Travel Merthyr

In 2013 Wales set itself an ambitious goal: to make walking and cycling the most natural and normal way of getting about. The vehicle for fulfilling that ambition was the Active Travel (Wales) Act, which passed through Wales’ Parliament with unanimous support. The Act requires the Welsh Government and local authorities to map comprehensive networks of walking and cycling routes that will enable people to make their everyday journeys conveniently and safely on foot or by bike. It requires continuous improvement of those networks and reporting of that progress. It calls for the promotion of active travel and for the enhancement of facilities for active travellers when constructing or improving highways.

Active travel means making journeys by walking and cycling, and an increase in such journeys is key in achieving the sustainability goals within the Welsh Government’s Transport Strategy. It is important to build active travel into daily routines by creating infrastructure that makes cycling and walking a safer a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Encouraging and enabling sustainable active travel can deliver the following benefits;

• Enhanced physical and mental wellbeing
• Support economic prosperity
• Improve road safety
• Improve the environment and biodiversity
• Create a sense of place
• Reduces congestion
• Enhance quality of life

 
Increased active travel will lead to fewer journeys by car and a safer more pleasant environment for walking and cycling journeys.

FUN FACT : If commuter trips with a route distance under 10km that are currently made by public transport switch to cycling (or other active modes) Merthyr would have 18 times more people cycling than at present. This is the second highest potential for change of all authorities within the UK. This evidences the strong need for improved infrastructure and capacity for cycling and walking within our borough.