Promoting walking and cycling proposes solutions to one of the most pressing problems in contemporary British transport planning. The need to develop more sustainable urban mobility lies at the heart of energy and environmental policies and has major implications for the planning of cities and for the structure of economy and society. However, most people feel either unable or unwilling to incorporate travel on foot or by bike into their everyday journeys. This book uses innovative quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine in depth, and in an international and historical context, why so many people fail to travel in ways that are deemed by most to be desirable. It proposes evidence-based policy solutions that could increase levels of walking and cycling substantially. This book is essential reading for planners and policy makers developing and implementing transport policies at both national and local levels, plus researchers and students in the field of mobility, transport, sustainability and urban planning.

Why, despite the supposed desirability of cycling and walking, do so many people feel unable or unwilling to incorporate these modes of transport into their everyday journeys? This problem, one of the most pressing questions facing transport planners, has major implications for environmental policy, urban planning, and existing social and economic structures. Drawing on original research, the authors reveal the reasons behind our resistance and suggest evidence-based policy solutions that could significantly increase levels of walking and cycling. These informed perspectives will enlighten urban planners and policymakers, as well as students and scholars of transport and mobility issues.

How to make city cycling--the most sustainable form of urban transportation--safe, practical, and convenient for all cyclists. Cycling is the most sustainable mode of urban transportation, practical for most short- and medium-distance trips--commuting to and from work or school, shopping, visiting friends, going to the doctor's office. It's good for your health, spares the environment a trip's worth of auto emissions, and is economical for both public and personal budgets. Cycling, with all its benefits, should not be reserved for the fit, the spandex-clad, and the daring. Cycling for Sustainable Cities shows how to make city cycling safe, practical, and convenient for all cyclists.

"From traffic-dodging-bike messengers to tattooed teenagers on battered bikes, from riders in spandex to well-dressed executives, ordinary citizens are becoming transportation revolutionaries. Jeff Mapes traces the growth of bicycle advocacy and explores the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling. He rides with bicycle advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists. Chapters focused on big cities, college towns, and America's most successful bike city, Portland, show how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are claiming a share of the valuable streetscape."--BOOK JACKET.

With a wide range of contributions from America, Australia, Europe as well as the UK, Creating Sustainable Transport sums up many of the lessons learned and how they can be applied in improved planning. Non-motorized transport planning depends on combining improvements to infrastructure with education. The book examines both national strategies and local initiatives in cities around the world, including such topics as changes to existing road infrastructure and the integration of cycling and walking with public transport. The contributors consider topics such as developing healthier travel habits and ways of promoting cycling and walking as alternatives to the car.