physical activity. In the 2008/09 academic year, 6.2% of children in reception classes who attend school in Wokingham Borough were classified as obese. At the same time 13.1% of school children in Year 6 were classified as obese. However, rising levels of obesity are preventable, and encouraging greater levels of activity amongst children and adults will support healthier lifestyles both now and in the future. 7.2 Walking and cycle network in the Borough The existing cycle network in the Borough consists of a mixture of ‘on’ and ‘off’ carriageway facilities. National cycle route 4 runs through the heart of the Borough connecting Reading to Maidenhead, following the A4 Bath Road. Wokingham Borough has approximately 3km of on- carriageway cycleway and 40km of off-carriageway cycleway. Much of Wokingham Borough is broadly level and does not suffer from steep gradients and is therefore conducive to active travel. The current cycle network provision forms the basis for a useful network linking some of the main employment locations, such as Thames Valley Business Park and the centre of Reading. Reading and Bracknell are the only significant origin and destination points for cyclists travelling to and from Wokingham Borough for work. Opportunities for walking are well developed in the urban areas of the Borough. Footways are generally well surfaced, lit, and connected by a range of crossing points. This is reflected by the overall numbers of children that walk to school. In the 2010 Wokingham schools census we reported that 44% of pupils walked to school, compared with one third who travel by car. The 2010 school census also indicated that 6% of pupils cycle to school however this can vary significantly depending on the school (for example 40% of pupils at Waingels College cycle to school). Walking in more rural parts of the Borough can often be more problematic as there is a limited footway provision or the travel distances required to access a school are not conducive to walking. However the rural walking network is well documented in our Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan31 (RoWIP). 31 Wokingham Borough Council’s Rights of Way Improvement Plan, 2009 64 Figure 22: Cycle Network 65 7.3 New development providing Active Travel opportunities We have an excellent opportunity in the next 15 years to further integrate the existing walking and cycling network with new housing development planned for the Borough, thereby ensuring that active forms of travel become more commonplace and are actively promoted within new communities from the outset. All new development in the Borough in coming years must have due regard to national planning policy (e.g. PPG13) which identifies that walking is the most important form of travel at the local level and offers the greatest potential to replace short car trips, particularly those under two kilometres. The key aim of PPG13 is to ensure that local authorities carry out their land use policies and transport programmes in ways that help to: • Promote more sustainable transport choices; • Promote accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking and cycling; and • Reduce the need to travel, especially by car. Cycling offers a realistic alternative to the car for short journeys and, for longer journeys, cycling can be combined with alternative modes of transport. Policy AT1: Increasing opportunities to walk and cycle We will actively encourage integrating walking and cycling routes and facilities into key destinations including: Retail, Leisure and Social Facilities; Public Transport interchanges; Schools, Colleges and other educational facilities; and Employment Areas Town Centres The Council is committed to redeveloping and revitalising town centres. This goal combined with sustained future housing growth will create the necessary infrastructure to promote active travel in and around town centres. New well planned development will include providing services and facilities within walking and cycling distances to further encourage residents to be active. The redevelopment of Wokingham town centre will also offer the opportunity for us to develop new and improved infrastructure that will accommodate active travel journeys. Town centre plans should seek to manage the impact of congestion and create improved conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. 66 To further promote the benefits of cycling the Department for Transport, the Department for Health and Cycle England have encouraged the designation of a number of ‘cycle towns’ across England. On average the designated ‘cycle towns’ reported a 27% rise in the number of cycle trips as a result of the work they have carried out. We will actively investigate the opportunity of making Wokingham and other district centres 'cycle friendly’ towns. This will strongly promote cycling as a sustainable, low energy, carbon friendly method of travel that encourages people to be active and healthy. The development of cycle friendly town and centres has the potential to have a positive impact on the overall levels of cycling in Wokingham Borough and to reduce the number of trips made by car. Transport Interchanges Active travel can often mean travelling by more than one means of transport. Journeys are often made up of several parts, such as a walk to the bus stop, followed by a bus journey and then a further walk to the final destination. It is the Council’s intention to further improve the ease and opportunity for travellers to switch between one form of transport and another. The development of transport interchanges will complement our ambitions to see town centres revitalised and support sustainable economic development and new housing. Education The first priority outlined in our Sustainable Communities Strategy is to make Wokingham Borough the best place in the country to grow up. To achieve this, the Council needs to create conditions that ensure children and young people stay safe and healthy. Building active travel patterns into daily life, such as travel to and from school can go a long way to helping our children and young people achieve this aim. As part of an innovative approach to integrating walking and cycling into everyday life the Department for Health and partners have developed the Change4Life website32. The Change4Life website is a multimedia approach that appeals to young people and encourages them to consider all aspects of a healthy life style primarily aimed at reducing the risk of obesity. The Change4Life website includes information on how to build active travel into everyday life in an attractive way. As part of the wider drive to tackle obesity, Change4Life aims to change attitudes in order to change behaviours which mirror the majority of the corporate aims of this authority. In order to maintain and increase the number of school pupils that are active in their travel to school, we will require all new housing to actively promote walking and cycling and develop the appropriate infrastructure. Our adopted Local Development Framework Core Strategy states that meeting the needs of young people shall include “ensuring that children of primary school age have access to a school within walking or cycling distance of their home (3-4km) along a safe route. 32 www.nhs.uk/change4life 67 Furthermore, young people aged 13-19 need to have sufficient access to positive activities and safe places to go”. As part of the development of active travel to schools, colleges and other educational facilities we will work with partners to develop school travel plans as outlined in the Smarter Choices and Demand management section (Policy SC/DM6). Measures that support the travel plan policy could include: Wider development of the cycle network, linking new and existing residential areas; Improvements to crossing points and signalised junctions on routes to schools; and Improved walking access to bus stops and stations in urban and rural areas. Employment Wokingham’s Economic Strategy places significant emphasis on creating a place that enjoys strong economic growth and prosperity. We recognise that traffic congestion at peak travel times is simply not conducive to supporting strong economic growth and prosperity in the Borough. As previously identified, the main external destinations for journeys to work amongst Wokingham residents are Reading and Bracknell. This would suggest that a significant number of journeys to work made within the Borough could be undertaken by walking and cycling. The 2001 census data indicated that 65% of our residents travelled to work by car, which nationally is perceived to be quite a high proportion. We will seek to address this pattern through the delivery of this LTP and the LDF Core Strategy. Opportunities to work in partnership to develop active travel networks with our neighbouring highways authorities of Reading and Bracknell will emerge over the next 15 years. It has become increasingly important for authorities to work in partnership across journey to work areas to promote walking and cycling as a viable alternative to car travel. Journeys to work do not respect local authority boundaries and a coordinated approach to providing improvements is necessary to make sure that cycling and walking journeys can be continuous. Policies in the Council’s LDF Core Strategy, in particular CP6, actively encourage all new housing and employment development to promote active travel (walking and cycling). This requirement over a period in time will provide and enhance networks for active