active travel planning training | Just Ride the Bike

JRtB Active Travel training

Active Travel design training: planning a cycling and walking network

With cycling and walking high on Government's agenda - as a means to tackle climate change, as a mode shift to improve decarbonisation, as a health and wellbeing tool and as a way of levelling social mobility - now is the time to ensure you are up to speed with the tools needed to design an cycling a walking network.

The Department for Transport have pushed very strongly for local areas to develop Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plans (LCWIPs) which will focus future funding opportunities for developing new active travel networks - no LCWIP, no funding. We have already seen these being used as a determinant of funding outcomes for the Emergency Active Travel Fund, tranche 1 and 2.

With this in mind, now is the time to get yourself up to speed with the latest thinking about cycling and walking networks, and how you can apply them to your area.

On completion of this course, delegates will be able to plan a cycling and walking network and understand the key issues which underpin best practice planning and design. This course provides a solid introduction to walking and cycling and is suitable for professionals working in the fields of transport planning, transport policy, highway engineering, development planning and road safety.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, participants will understand:

Policy Context – 'Gear Change' (England), Covid response and Active Travel Wales Act
Legal duties underpinning the need to plan and design for walking and cycling (Active Travel Wales Act, Highways Act, Road Traffic Act)
Planning a network for walking and cycling (Propensity to Cycle Tool and Liveable Neighbourhood/LTN concept)
Have an overview of relevant design guides
Inclusive Design - Impacts on different groups – children, women, older people and disabled and who we potentially include or exclude when we design
Audit toolkit to help with designs
Understanding of key design issues relating to links
Understanding of key design issues relating to crossings and intersections
Cycle Parking and Interchange Facilities

Mode of Delivery

Course is delivered online in four consecutive modules of 1.5 hrs using MS Teams. Modules consist of approximately 45 minutes of slides and 45mins for discussion. Delegates are encouraged to bring examples/case studies from their own experience that can be shared for discussion.

Just Ride the Bike work closely in partnership with PJA - Phil Jones Associates, to deliver this, and other active travel projects, across the UK and beyond.

Pre-course reading

The main design sources for the course are:

Department for Transport Local Transport Note 1/20 Cycle Infrastructure Design which can be downloaded at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120

Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 6

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual

Highways England CD195 Designing for Cycle Traffic (DMRB)

https://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/search/5bb8f60c-737b-49f8-8c40-522a49038eff

Delegates are likely to get more from the course if they review the documents above prior to the course.

Course Outline

Part 1

CONTEXT & PLANNING (1.5hrs)

This part of the course is focussed on how to begin planning a network including consultation, understanding potential and supressed demand, and network planning.

Policy – Active Travel, Gear Change, Planning Policy Framework
Legal duties placed on local authorities to plan and design for walking and cycling:
- Gear Change
- Active Travel Wales Act and Guidance
- Equality Act which protects people by age, gender and ability
- Highways Act, Traffic Management Act, National Planning Framework
Inclusive design to enable access for all – children, women, older people and disabled
Planning Active Travel Networks; Propensity to Cycle Tool in relation to commuting and travel to school. Mini-Holland and the Liveable Neighbourhood/LTN concepts.
Audit, consultation, co-design and participation with stakeholder and communities – ensuring inclusive consultation processes

Part 2

BASIC GEOMETRY AND LINKS (1.5hrs)

Overview

Overview of Design guidance
User needs – walking and cycling traffic
Main geometric considerations (widths, gradients, sightlines)

Link Design

Traffic calming to reduce speed to enable on-carriageway cycling
Modal filters and other traffic reduction techniques to enable on-carriageway cycling
Cycle Lanes and Bus Lanes in carriageway (including contraflow)
Protected cycling infrastructure – Light Segregation, cycle tracks
Kerbside activities - Bus stops, loading, car parking