Clearing Hurdles for a Smooth Pathway to Walking

Walking is a natural activity for most, but for many it is not the automatic mode of transport it should be. Physical, social, cultural, and psychological barriers can prevent people from walking daily. Without addressing these, promoting walking as an option remains a challenge.

A few years ago, I worked on Local Cycling and Walking Activation Plans (LCWAPs) to tackle this issue. These plans didn’t just complement Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs)—they were also designed to influence that infrastructure to better support behavior change.

?? Gather insights from those not currently walking or cycling.

??? Inform LCWIP infrastructure to better support behavior change.

?? Use experiential research through LCWAP activities to identify barriers overlooked in traditional planning.

?? Emphasize that activation itself is key—behavior change isn’t just about infrastructure but how we engage, enable, and inspire people to make different choices.

Better streets for walking, cycling (and play) need more than new concrete—it requires:

????Hardware: Well-designed streets, accessible walkways, and safe cycling paths.

???Software: Community programs, campaigns, and resources delivered by those who understand these barriers.

???Orgware: Collaborative efforts aligning communities, local governments, and stakeholders to sustain long-term change.

One difficulty: Integrating behavior change into real interventions.

Tunderstand why people aren’t walking or cycling, frameworks like COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behavior) offer critical insights into the barriers that influence decisions. The COM-B model highlights key components affecting people’s ability and motivation to engage in active travel.

?? Using COM-B to design effective interventions

I was intrigued by Just Streets’?latest research poster, which analyzes the barriers people face in walking. It highlights challenges faced by groups like the elderly, people with disabilities, and women, and shows how accessibility, safety, and social support impact behavior. It offers strategies to overcome these barriers.Take a look at the full poster for insights on how to strengthen the case for active travel and public health!

With this kind of insight, we can:

?? Design interventions that focus on making behavior change a reality, not just better infrastructure.

?? Equip decision-makers with real insights into the barriers that hinder active travel.

?? Build the case for walking and cycling as accessible solutions that improve public health and equity.

Build Back Fairer: addressing inequalities of access to our streets, parks and other public spaces

In the spirit of transforming public spaces and addressing inequalities of access, I’m linking to a series of events I hosted a few years ago during, and in the wake of COVID-19. These events aimed to bring together experts, policy makers and decision makers with active travel advocates and people from communities facing barriers to active travel and making use of public space.

Experts included Tim Gill , Make Space for Girls , Dr Dianne Regisford , Transport for All Beatfreeks Lucy Marstrand JoyRiders Britain and most importantly local voices facing these barriers.

Build Back Fairer: addressing inequalities of access to our streets, parks and other public spaces

Co-designed and delivered with local partners in Oxfordshire while I was working for Active Oxfordshire the ‘Build Back Fairer’ series in response to the widening social, economic, and health inequalities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This series was dedicated to discussing how we could transform our streets, parks, and other public spaces into healthier, happier environments for all residents, regardless of their background or circumstances.

The Build Back Fairer series focused included sessions on

• Creating safer streets and spaces for those facing inequalities in access to the public realm as women, children, teens, people with disabilities and based on race and culture.
• Reimagining streets to make them more accessible and supportive of active travel.
• Shaping inclusive policies that ensure every resident has equal access to the benefits of public spaces to keep them active.

Engaging Kids in Street Design: A Global Approach

Since we're on this topic I noticed Global Designing Cities Initiative have released two new publications How to Engage Kids in Street Design and How to Evaluate Streets Near Schools—now available for free download here.

This handbook offers strategies and tools for cities to engage children in the street design process, demonstrating how their perspectives can create streets that are safer, more inclusive, and more enjoyable for all ages. - I've previously made use of The Global Street Design Guide and the Designing Streets for Kids publications and they are definitely worth a look with design recommendations and case studies that highlight streets that are safe, , accessible and enjoyable.