What is active travel?
Active travel is all about making journeys by physically active means such as walking, scooting, running or cycling.
More often than not these journeys are relatively short such as the school run, trips to local shops, cycling to local workplaces or to the train station where a commuting journey continues. There is also a growing number of people who now choose to complete their entire commute on their bikes into central London and beyond.
Active travel has numerous benefits to individuals and the wider community. It has major health benefits both physically and mentally. It is often quicker than using the car and reduces congestion and lowers air pollution. Furthermore, it also saves money on fuel, running costs and parking when compared to driving.
We have many services available to help you make the important switch from the car towards more active journeys:
Cycling
- There are over 100 miles of cycle routes across the borough. Find how you can cycle around Bromley
- Cycle Training - We offer a class leading cycle training service that is free to all those who live, work or study in our borough. If you are new to cycling or a regular cyclist who wants to start commuting, we offer training to suit every ability.
- Escorted Commutes – We can help you plan a route to and from your place of work and even escort you on your first commute to demonstrate the route and to give you some additional confidence. For more information, email road.safety@bromley.gov.uk
- Cycle Maintenance courses - CPD accredited courses that teaches you the fundamentals about cycle maintenance.
- Dr Bike - Regular Saturday sessions in Norman Park where you can bring your bike along and have it inspected by our team of fully qualified Cycle Mechanics who can address minor problems and advise on what to do about more in-depth mechanical issues.
Find more details on our cycling services
Walking
Replacing short car journeys with walking is a really simple way to incorporate active travel into your day and is a surprisingly quick way to get from A to B. Research by Public Health England shows that leaving your car at home and walking briskly for just ten minutes, twice a day, improves your health.
You can explore Bromley's countryside and the network of walking routes, find out more about walking in Bromley
Scooting
Encouraging School children to scoot to school is great way to keep them active. Our School Travel Planners work with many schools across the borough to deliver Scootsure training. An initiative aimed at Year 2 and 3 pupils which is intended to improve awareness for riders and pedestrians, making scooting to school a viable alternative to using the car.