Lancashire County Council's new strategy to boost the number of people walking and cycling on a regular basis

A new strategy to increase walking and cycling will be considered by Lancashire County Council's Cabinet next Thursday.
County HallCounty Hall
County Hall

The ambitious plan, called Actively Moving Forward, sets out to:

• Double the number of people cycling;

• Increase the amount that people walk by 10 per cent. Particularly by increasing the percentage of children aged between five and 10 who usually walk to and from school;

County HallCounty Hall
County Hall
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

• Reduce levels of physical inactivity across Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn, so they fall below the national average.

Andrew Mullaney, the county council’s head of planning and environment, said: “It’s crucial we do all we can to encourage people to be more physically active.

“Making it easier for people to walk and cycle brings many benefits, from improving people’s health and wellbeing, reducing road congestion and improving local air quality, to providing access to job opportunities and supporting economic growth.”

The aim is to achieve these targets by 2028.

This strategy has been put together by Lancashire County Council, in partnership with Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council, following a consultation with local people and other partners, which took place last year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Mullaney added: “This strategy would build on the range of high-quality walking and cycling routes, which already offer excellent access to the county’s towns and cities and beautiful rural landscape.

“Some of the actions set out in the strategy include making use of existing walking and cycling facilities, investing in further improvements, improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and changing people’s behaviour to make walking and cycling their natural choice for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey.”