Hello! I’m Councillor Richard Burton, Active Travel champion for the Forest of Dean District Council. I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about the benefits of Active Travel, which is basically anything that involves physical effort to move, whether walking or wheeling about on cycles, wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

I became champion because I believe passionately in the benefits of Active Travel, both to individuals and our community. The council is currently consulting about its Active Travel strategy, and I very much hope you’ll take part in our survey on the FoDDC website to help us save money, improve our health and reduce pollution.

There are few better ways we can spend our public funds to bring improvements to our society. The economic, social and environmental benefits of Active Travel far outweigh the costs involved. According to the Department of Transport, for every £1 Invested in Active Travel there is a return of nearly £6. This is considerably greater than the government’s threshold of 4:1, which is considered as ‘very high’ value for money.

Not only is it good for the public purse, Active Travel could save you money too. Instead of driving to the shops, driving the kids to school, or commuting to work by car, why not use Active Travel?

Most people don’t get enough exercise and swapping our daily journey to Active Travel builds exercise into your daily routine. Walking benefits our muscles and posture, aids digestion and is good for our brains. As well as encouraging us to think more creatively, walking helps to improve our mood and reduce stress. Regular cyclists live two years longer than average and suffer less from all types of disease, including obesity, diabetes, cancer and mental illness.

If everyone regularly doing short journeys by car swapped to Active Travel, the number of vehicles on our roads would drop dramatically. Congestion would ease, traffic would flow better and our roads would be safer. The reduction in pollution would be an additional benefit for those suffering from breathing difficulties. Most of our cars produce CO2, a significant cause of climate change. The largest source of CO2 in the UK is transport, so changing to Active Travel will help reduce the dangerous emissions caused by internal combustion engines.

Mobility scooters are widely available. This is a huge boost to the personal freedom and quality of life for those of us with a disability or infirmity. Scooters encourage greater physical activity and allow us to sustain a social life, contributing to our physical, mental and social well-being. And, unlike a car, a scooter does not require to be licensed nor a huge space to park or garage.

Active Travel encourages us to support and make better use of public transport. Instead of having to concentrate on the road, you can look at the view, check your messages and even do some work.

I very much hope you’ll take part in our survey and help us make the very best of this opportunity. The closing date is Friday, June 20.