Active Travel Scotland - Policy
Active Travel Scotland responds to consultations to help ensure health and transport policies translate into increased walking and cycling, with associated benefits for health and the environment.
Recent consultation responses by Active Travel Scotland:
New Opportunities Fund - Community Sport programme for Scotland
Health for All Children - Guidance on Implementation in Scotland
See the appropriate sections below for information on the value of active travel in contributing to the sustainability, planning, transport, health, education and community agendas in Scotland.
Sustainability
Choosing Our Future: Scotland's sustainable development strategy
Sets out the importance of walking and cycling in creating a sustainable society and calls for good quality open spaces and streetscapes to encourage more sustainable forms of travel.
Indicators of Sustainable Development for Scotland
The benchmark against which Scotland's progress to become a more sustainable society is measured.
Changing our Ways: Scotland's climate change programme
This document commits to the promotion of a modal shift to more sustainable forms of transport, increased travel behaviour change and the development of travel plans to help combat climate change.
Corporate Social Responsibility reporting
The promotion of travel plans and walking and cycling to work can contribute to the improved environmental performance of organisations, as well as reinforcing their commitment to employee health and wellbeing.
Planning
Scottish Planning Policy 17 – Planning for Transport
Key policy outlining the importance of land use planning which reduces the need for travel and prioritises measures to increase walking, cycling and public transport provision.
Planning Advice Note 75 – Planning for Transport
Supports Scottish Planning Policy 17 by providing good practice guidance on how planning can support sustainable modes of transport and how linkages between planning and transport can be managed.
Scottish Planning Policy 11 – Physical Activity and Open Space Consultation Draft
Includes objectives to protect and enhance networks of open space, support opportunities for active recreation and increase opportunities for people to build physical activity into their daily routine. Consultation period has recently ended.
Planning Advice Note 76 – New Residential Streets
Provides advice on creating safer, more pleasant and well connected streets, integrating with walking and cycling networks and creating spaces that increase social capital.
Land Reform Scotland Act – Core Path Planning
Local Authorities are required to draw up a plan for a system of local paths that give the public reasonable access throughout the area, increasing opportunities to walk and cycle for health.
Transport
National Transport Strategy
Sets out the future of Scotland's transport infrastructure and services. The provision of walking and cycling is included as a high level objective contributing to improved health and the protection of the environment.
Regional Transport Strategies (7)
Each of the 7 Regional Transport Partnerships in Scotland have a requirement to produce a Regional Transport Strategy outlining the future development of transport provision in each area. Each strategy must work towards an increase in sustainable travel modes, as required by the National Transport Strategy.
Sestran Hitrans Nestrans SPT Tactran Zetrans Swestrans
Local Transport Strategies (32)
Non statutory document outlining how Local Authorities aim to deliver national transport objectives, including the promotion of sustainable transport, at a local level.
Health
Let's make Scotland more Active: a strategy for physical activity
Aims to provide high quality physical environments to support inactive people to become active. Active Travel is a key delivery mechanism.
Delivering a Healthy Future: An Action Framework for Children and Young People's Health in Scotland
Highlights the importance of increased physical activity in improving children's health and the role of active travel to school in helping to achieve this.
Towards a Healthier Scotland - A White Paper on Health
Sets out the Government's vision of improving health for all in Scotland. Walking and cycling are promoted as providing a vital contribution to increased physical activity levels and improved health.
World Health Organisation Healthy Cities Programme
Engages local governments from more than 30 countries in a network which aims to improve the health of residents, concentrating on physical activity and incorporating active travel.
Education
Health Promoting Schools
A target has been set for all schools in Scotland to become Health Promoting Schools by 2007. A key element of this is increased physical activity through active travel to school.
Active Schools Policy
An ‘Active School' provides pupils with the opportunity to get active to the extent that it benefits their health. Active School Coordinators work closely with School Travel Coordinators to incorporate active travel into physical activity provision.
Community Planning
Local Government in Scotland - Community Planning Legislation
An overarching partnership framework for service delivery at a local level, bringing together the health, transport, education, planning and sustainable development agendas, all of which can benefit from increased walking and cycling levels.
Community Health Partnerships
Established by NHS Boards, these partnerships provide a structure to increase joint working between health services to improve local population health. Active travel has the potential to contribute to the priority area of improving health and reducing inequalities.
Joint Health Improvement Plans
These plans outline the priorities of community planning partners in relation to improving health and wellbeing in their areas. Physical activity is a priority in these plans in line with the national framework, Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge (2003). Active travel plays a significant role in increasing physical activity and is cited as a key delivery mechanism in many of the plans.
Better Communities in Scotland: Closing the Gap
This strategy sets out the policies that are to be implemented to tackle inequalities between communities and create a better life for disadvantaged communities. 2 of the 5 priority areas are health and transport, with an emphasis on increasing access to employment through cheaper travel costs including active travel.