Speaking at an active travel webinar on Thursday, Steve said that such a move would “put walking centre stage” and recognise how the “sands have started to shift recently” regarding the importance of walking in the active travel mix.

He reflected on why travel on foot was often seen as the poor cousin of transport policy. “Walking forms part of every trip we make and I think it is the ubiquitous nature of walking that is the problem,” he said.
“And it is not just that walking has been nudged out by motoring; there is an issue between cycling and walking,” he added. “Over the last 20 years cycling has had a fairer wind and that might reflect a sense that in pursuing an active travel agenda, cycling is seen as more active.”

Steve also called for “a big push” for the “adequate maintenance of footways”.

The webinar was organised by London Living Streets and the University of Westminster’s active travel academy. Event chair Tom Cohen asked Steve to what extent he thought the bundling of cycling and walking together in the Government’s 2017 strategy may have disadvantaged travel on foot.
“Our best bet was to bundle the two together under the active travel banner,” Steve replied. “Part of the business case (for walking) is its health benefit, and not just its transport benefit.”

Webinar participants also heard from Vienna’s former vice mayor and deputy governor Maria Vassilakou, who described walking as “the key for cities for life”. The Austrian city pedestrianised its longest shopping street in 2015 and Vienna currently sees 73% of everyday trips carried out either on foot, bicycle or public transport. Within five years it wants to see this figure increase to 80%.

“Walking is part of our everyday,” Maria said. “The shift in focus for walking has moved away from walking for mobility to walking for livability.”

(Photograph: Ironbell – Shutterstock)