CIHT welcomed the opportunity to respond to the consultation and updates being made to various documents to help support people to be physically active.

General commentary:

CIHT believe that transport and infrastructure are a fundamental part of the built environment. The design and management of the public realm, the streets and transport associated with it must support physical activity (behavioural change programmes have a role to play here) and be accessible to all.
There should be a clear strategy, set nationally, for collaboration between different policy areas in making inclusive and accessible environments. The strategy should include a wider range of professional inputs (e.g. planners, disability groups, highway engineers…so that separate commissioning bodies are clear who should be involved, how they will contribute and how accessible environments can be delivered).

The guidance required to support this range of inputs should be refreshed or developed. CIHT would recommend that it should be used in the development, training and ongoing professional development of people delivering services across the built environment.

There must be a better understanding of diversity and inclusion, both in terms of the needs of all when using the built environment and by those that are delivering services to the built environment. CIHT recommends that government should commission detailed research into the differing needs of people with physical and mental impairments, including how the needs of different groups should be balanced.
Finally for rural areas - in addition to public transport - longer distance cycle route improvements could help address low levels of physical activity in areas of high car dependency.

 

For a full version of CIHT's response, see here