Helping Plymouth City Council measure and evaluate the health impacts of active travel through a study funded by Active Travel England

Active Travel Social Prescription Impact Study

Plymouth City Council (PCC) is one of 11 local authorities in England taking part in a £13.9 million trial, funded by Active Travel England (ATE) where health workers can prescribe walking and cycling to their patients. PCC will use its funding to help overcome patients’ individual barriers to active travel, providing access to a range of activities and creating personal walking and cycling plans.

The study forms part of the wider Plymotion scheme that makes it easier for people to get around Plymouth by bike, on foot, and by bus. We have assisted with the delivery of the scheme for over a decade and PCC has now appointed us as their monitoring and evaluation partner for this study as well. Our experience with Plymotion, where we have measured impact and trained travel advisors how to deliver doorstep personalised travel planning, along with our other travel survey commissions, means we understand the challenges and opportunities presented by this cohort study which will track participants health and wellbeing for up to 12 months post-prescription.

The project will run until autumn 2025 and will help more people to access support such as adult cycle training, led rides, led walks, and complementary learning like bike maintenance courses and workshops.