The benefits of travelling actively
Walking, wheeling and cycling are all great ways to get around for everyday journeys and can help save you money and help the environment. People who choose to travel actively see significant benefits to their wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
- Walking is a very common active travel mode. For some people, walking may involve the use of a support aid such as a stick, crutches or an assistance dog. For others, it may involve running to their destination
- Wheeling includes the use of wheelchairs, mobility scooters and rollators to get around. It can also include other active forms of wheeled travel such as push scooters, roller blades and skateboards if they are being used as part of a journey
- Cycling uses pedal power for forward motion and includes a wide variety of different cycle types that include, for example, standard bicycles, electric bicycles, recumbent cycles, tandems, adapted cycles and cycles with trailers
Physical health benefits
Being active and moving more is really good for you.
25% of people aged 16+ in Cumbria are physically inactive. Choosing to walk, cycle or wheel for just some everyday journeys improves levels of physical activity and helps maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Travelling actively can incorporate exercise into your daily routine. A 10-minute walk equals 100 calories burned. 10 minutes on a bicycle equals 50 calories burned
- If you walk one mile every day, over a year you burn off 36,500 calories. That’s a lot of energy
- Physical inactivity is responsible for 1 in 6 UK deaths (Source: Department for Transport Gear Change, 2020)
Mental health benefits
Going outside and being active can make you feel happier. Undertaking active travel such as walking, wheeling or cycling can help you to sleep well, reduce stress and worry and boost your self-esteem.
So, take some time out for yourself and travel actively whilst working on your physical and mental health.
- When you walk, wheel or cycle, it helps your blood move around, releases feel-good chemicals, and can make you feel less stressed
- Moving around and being active can make you feel happier and more confident, especially when you get better and achieve what you wanted
- Going for a bike ride or a walk or wheel gives your brain something new to think about, which can make you feel calmer and better able to handle thoughts that won’t go away
- Taking a stroll or riding your bike outside fills you up with energy and good feelings. It helps you feel excited and prepared to tackle anything
Environmental benefits
Cumbria, like everywhere else, is experiencing a climate and ecological emergency. By choosing to walk, cycle or wheel for more of your journeys instead of taking the car, you can play your part in helping Cumbria to become carbon ‘net zero’ by 2037.
Every year in the UK, up to 40,000 people pass away because of air pollution. About 80% of this pollution comes from vehicles on the road. If more people choose to travel actively that means less pollution, less traffic and less noise on the road.
- In Cumbria, transport accounts for an estimated 40% of carbon emissions. Replacing some car journeys with journeys made by active travel modes will reduce carbon emissions in Cumbria and help address the climate crisis (Source: Cumbria Public Health Annual Report, 2019)
- Cycling, instead of driving fossil-fuelled vehicles, helps keep the air clean. Every mile you cycle saves a pound of carbon dioxide from making the earth too warm
- In the UK, transport is responsible for 27% of air pollution. And out of that, 61% comes from cars and taxis alone! (Department for Transport, Transport Statistics for Great Britain 2021)
Financial benefits
Walking, cycling and wheeling can be a much cheaper option to travelling by car.
It saves money on petrol, repairs and parking. Even doing short journeys regularly can save a lot over time.
Why not try and set a goal to save money by driving less and then reward yourself with something fun when you’ve saved enough. Each week tick off this new habit and before long you could have earned yourself a reward.
- If you find other ways to travel around Cumbria instead of driving your car, like walking, wheeling or cycling, you can save a lot of money that you’d usually spend on parking and fuel
- Switching to a bike for your everyday journeys could save you over £3,000 every year
- Social prescribing of active travel is being used in Cumbria to help boost mental health and wellbeing of individuals. Find out more about the Active Travel Social Prescribing pilot happening in Cumbria.
- If you walk, wheel or cycle instead of driving just 10 miles every week, you can save around £213 each year on what it costs to run a car
- Instead of paying for a car every month, you could buy a really good bike with just one of those payments. And guess what? That bike could last even longer than most cars!