Decision Session – Executive Member for Transport	21 June 2022
Report of the Director of Transport, Environment and Planning

iTravel York progress report 2021/22 and 2022/23 programme

Summary

1. This report provides an update of the iTravel Programme of work to benefit traffic flow, health and the environment through promoting behaviour change towards sustainable travel options.

Recommendations

2. The Executive Member is asked to note the progress made in 2021/22 and the proposed 22/23 iTravel Programme subject to funding.

Reason: to endorse the proposed approach to delivery for 2022/23 in support of the council plan outcome of enabling more residents to get around sustainably.

Background

3. The iTravel Team delivers travel behaviour change activities to benefit traffic flow, health and the environment in York. It is a Council team (currently 6 employees) within the Sustainable Transport Team. The iTravel programme is the means for delivering most of the travel behaviour change activities.

4. The iTravel Team works closely with the other teams in Sustainable Transport, which also draw some of their funding from the iTravel Programme.  The Road Safety team provide child pedestrian training and adult and child cycle training.  The Public Transport Team promote and provide information about bus and Park & Ride services.

Transport
Sustainable Transport Team
iTravel Team	Road Safety Team	Public Transport
Promoting sustainable travel	Promoting safer travel	Promoting/supporting bus and Park & Ride

Benefits of promoting sustainable travel

5. The role of the iTravel team is to encourage people in York to travel sustainably, e.g. walking, cycling, public transport, car sharing and low emission vehicles.  The team primarily uses the method of ‘travel planning’ to help individuals to change to using sustainable travel.  For example for cycling, some of that support can be free information, training, ‘tryouts’ and challenges.  This could be provided directly by the team or through ‘travel plans’: documents developed by employers and other organisations about how travel to their site can be changed.

6. The following table relates the benefits of sustainable travel to the Council Plan core outcomes, illustrating how important it is to what the Council wants to achieve.

Benefit from increasing sustainable travel	Council Plan core outcomes that link with this
Reduced congestion by using road space more efficiently	· Getting around sustainably · Well-paid jobs and an inclusive economy
Improved air quality by emitting less or cleaner vehicle emissions	· Getting around sustainably · A Greener and Cleaner City
Reduced carbon emissions by emitting less or lower carbon vehicle emissions	· Getting around sustainably · A Greener and Cleaner City
Increased health through active travel. Walking to the bus is healthy.	· Good Health and Wellbeing
Cost savings to individuals. Walking/cycling is low cost, but bus and car sharing can save money too.	· Well-paid jobs and an inclusive economy
Safer travel through support to cycle safely.	· Safe Communities and culture for all

iTravel Programme: DfT funding allocations

7. The iTravel Programme is a programme of travel behaviour scheme initiatives.  The table below sets out funding received so far.

Funding before 21/22:	Amount
Cycle City York	£223K (08/09); £543K (09/10); £615K (10/11)
Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF)	£180K (11/12); £647K (12/13); £777K (13/14); £896K (14/15)
LSTF 2	£1m (15/16)
Sustainable Transition Fund	£399K (16/17)
Access Fund	£451K (17/18); £399K (18/19); £472K (19/20)
Access Fund extension	£438K (20/21)
Funding in 21/22
Access Fund extension carry forward	£136K
Capability Fund (active travel)	£180K
Total	£316K

8. Extra funding has also been available for schemes that the iTravel Team have delivered.

Funding in 21/22		Output
E-Cycle Extension Fund	£133K	E-Cycle Switch
E-Cargo Bike Fund	£32K	E-Cargo Bike Scheme
Active Travel Fund	£24K	Marketing resources for 22/23*

*Led by CYC Communications Team

9. The 22/23 budget is yet to be confirmed as we are awaiting funding announcements from the Department for Transport.

iTravel Programme 21/22 and associated schemes: Output and Outcome headlines

10. In terms of showing results of the programme it will always be difficult to calculate grand totals, because different schemes require different types of data collection.

E-Cycle Switch

11. E-Cycle Switch started in July 2021, funded with an extra £133K following a successful bid. See www.itravelyork.info/e-cycle-switch. The scheme aims to convert York people, including car users, to using and buying electric cycles (pedal assisted) – particularly people who need help finding practical, healthy and environmentally friendly journey options. The Council has been working with local bike shops to provide trials of electric cycles and discounts off subsequent purchases, from July 2021.

12. The trials offer a chance for people to experience life with an e-cycle, taking it to work, the shops, finding out what they like and don’t like – the discount encourages them to make the change permanent by buying their own e-cycle.

13. There are options for job seekers as well as those interested in adapted cycles (e.g. for people with disabilities), offering proportionately larger discounts.

14. As of February 2022, there have been 162 participants so far, including 8 adapted cycle users. Early evidence suggests that the trials and discounts had a genuine effect on persuading people to switch to using e-cycles as well as some shift from car use.

15. Of note has been the new method of providing trials through bike shops rather than outsourcing to a single provider or trying to do it ourselves. Spread across the different shops there has been capacity to deliver enough trials. Participants benefit from the knowhow of bike shop staff as well as the easy option to go on and purchase a bike. And of course there is the benefit to the economy of keeping spend local. There may be opportunities in the future to develop this concept further, e.g. with non-electric cycles or with child-carrying equipment too.

16. With an underspend of around £70K, we are able to deliver more E-Cycle Switch in 22/23.

E-Cargo bike scheme

17. E-Cargo cycles are pedal assisted cargo cycles that have containers large enough to deliver and transfer boxes and other items. A good option for a city wanting to reduce van deliveries that add to congestion and air pollution.

18. With another extra £32K successfully bid for, we have been able to purchase 2 electric trikes for St Nicks to use for their recycling collections. Another bike has been ordered for the Council to use internally. And Brunswick Nursery will have a trike to deliver their produce.

19. We had hoped to buy two bikes for businesses to try a month at a time to see if they’d like to buy their own, but demand for this was lower than expected.

20. We will monitor usage of the above cycles. The overall aim is that usage of e-cargo bikes will increase in York, with these early pioneers influencing other local organisations to do the same.

Active Travel Campaign

21. Working in partnership with the Council’s Communications Team, Bright Sparks were appointed to develop marketing materials for a campaign in 22/23. The cost of £24K was funded from the Active Travel Fund. The campaign will promote infrastructure, such as the upcoming A19 cycle route, that is also paid for by the Active Travel Fund. Materials include branding/imagery, sophisticated messaging and a video.

Better Points

22. Better Points provide us with an online service, rewarding people who download and use an app with vouchers and other incentives for travelling sustainably.

23. Over 1000 signed up. 50% reported driving less by mid-December. 56% agreed or strongly agreed with: ‘As a result of BetterPoints York, I am less likely to use a car in the future.’ Logged journeys are 74% walking, 16% cycling, 4% bus.

24. We hope to continue and grow Better Points in 22/23.

Cycle training

25. Cycle Training is delivered by the Road Safety Team, partly funded through the iTravel Programme.

Bikeability training for children

26. The Bikeability training has been extremely popular again with a very good take up from the schools.  By the end of the current academic year we are on target to be delivering to 100% of the state schools in York, Primary and Secondary.   We are also delivering training at Applefields School, the satellite hubs at Manor School, Joseph Rowntree, and also to a limited number at the Millthorpe Satellite hub.  Bootham school take part in the training each year and last summer St Peter’s requested Bikeability as part of their summer school programme.  This proved very popular and has been requested for next summer.

27. We will be one of the few areas who have exceeded our allocated Bikeability Grant funded places.  Additional funding from The Bikeability Trust has been applied for to help with the training for the remainder of this academic year.

Skill level taught	No. participants (21/22)*
Level 1	60
Level 2	100
Level 1 & 2 combined	1,186
Level 3	478
Balance Bike	121

*By 8^th February 2022

Urban Cycle Skills for adults and families

28. The uptake for this continues to be steady, it has not been heavily promoted because of the capacity to deliver the sessions. To date, from 1 April 2021, around 80 sessions have been delivered.

29. One woman at the mosque has been taught to cycle, and the instructor is now helping her with selecting a second hand bike for her to use.  She will have an Urban Cycle Skills session when she has her own bike and has had some more practice. There is one more woman who is having a ‘learn to cycle’ session/s prior to taking a UCS session, on a bike provided by iTravel/Road Safety.

30. Urban Cycle Skills using an electric bike (pedal assisted) provided by CYC is now an option. 2 requests have so far been made for these.

Inclusivity

31. We continue to make the training as inclusive as we can, by adapting the training to an individual’s needs, often on a ratio of 1-1 or 2-1 and having shorter but more sessions to progress their cycling ability.

32. York Sport Village have been very supportive and will loan an adapted bike, by request, to enable children with special needs in mainstream schools to take part in the Bikeability sessions that their class are doing.  This makes a huge difference to them as they can join in a class activity they would otherwise miss out on.

Blueberry Academy

33. Blueberry Academy have expressed an interest in having cycle training for some of their young people.  Discussions are underway to find the best way to deliver training sessions.

York Walking Festival

34. Following the successful launch of the York Walking Festival in September 2020, a second festival took place a year later. This time, with Covid restrictions eased, it was possible to have a programme of 35 led walks, delivered by volunteers and existing walking groups.  We recorded 277 recorded attendees, though there were possibly as many as 600. A Better Points promotion for the festival also led to 3064 miles being walked.

35. New online and printed resources were also produced for the festival, including a new walking bingo and the Club Wilber Treasure Hunt (also available in braille). Such resources can then go on to be available throughout the year.

iTravel website development

36. Alongside our successful walking festivals, the walking content of the website has been developed with the aim of it being the first point of call for anyone wanting to walk more in York. The walking maps page now references a wide range of up to date routes produced by various groups and societies – particularly those that have points of interest (e.g. historical). The walking groups page references most if not all walking groups in York. The Ideas of Walking page now has our activity sheets, such as the Walking Bingo and Crosswalk.

37. We are also working on providing more helpful links to help people with mobility problems (e.g. wheelchair users) to plan their journeys.

Cycle route videos and Walking audio guides

38. A cycle route video offers a preview of a route before someone sets out. It shows what the route is like, which helps the person decide whether to use it and also how to navigate it.

39. A walking audio guide is an alternative to using a paper map to follow a walking route.  Using a mobile phone someone can follow a route on an interactive while clicking on locations to hear information (e.g. historical) through their headphones.

40. At least 2 cycle videos and 2 walking audio guides will be produced and available on www.itravel.info by March 2022.

Schools: Sustrans travel behaviour change

41. Sustrans have over a number of years engaged with primary school pupils about their travel choices, encouraging more walking and cycling in particular – first with Bike It and then with their active travel services. This service has complemented the iTravel Team, who have acted more as advisors to the schools, helping them develop ways to improve their school run.

42. We have not renewed their contract beyond July 2021 in anticipation of iTravel programme funding reducing. Also it was felt that although Sustrans have performed well, the concept has run its course in York. We therefore decided to take a break from outsourcing schools work to review what initiatives we think could work in the future (if we had the funding).

43. In the school year 21/22 they delivered 119 activities to 8 schools and achieved the following:

a. Car Use: Pupils reporting car use as their usual form of transport to school decreased by nearly 5 percentage points: from 20% at baseline to 15.2% at the end of the year.

b. Active Travel: Pupils who usually choose active travel to get to school increased from 71.9% at baseline to 76.1% after one year of engagement.

c. Park and Stride: Park and stride is less popular than active travel, but has increased from 7% at baseline to 8.2% at the end of the year.

d. Travel preferences: After one year of engagement, 84.8% of pupils want to travel actively to school (up from 81.7% at baseline), and only 6% want to be driven to school (down from 9.8% at baseline).

Schools: October 2021 Walk to School Week

44. The iTravel Team organised the annual competition to see which school can have the highest percentage of pupils walking or making other active travel journeys. This year the mileage would be totalled to see how many trips to Glasgow that would equate too, in tribute to Glasgow’s COP26.

45. Archbishop of York Junior won the Jack Archer prize:

a. 95.7% journeys completed

b. 1106 journeys total

c. 5 one way trips to Glasgow (1 journey = 1 mile. 210 miles to Glasgow)

d. 0.3tonnes of CO₂ saved

46. All school results:

a. 24 schools took part in the week

b. 13 schools competed for Jack Archer award

c. Average of 77% of journeys made by Active travel

d. 13,204 total active travel journeys made in the week

e. 64 one way trips to Glasgow ( if 1 journey = 1 mile)

f. Potential of 3.84 tonnes of CO₂ saved

Schools: People Streets (Sustrans)

47. Sustrans produced feasibility studies and preliminary designs for changing the highway outside both Badger Hill Primary and Clifton Green Primary Schools. These designs are now available as and funding has been secured and these schemes now form part of the Council’s Active Travel Programme.

48. The aims are to improve the journeys to school by active travel alongside addressing issues such as from parent parking behaviour. Sustrans initially carried out consultation with children, parents, school staff and the neighbourhood and then street trials to test ideas developed.

Clifton Green Street Trial

Schools: Travel Planning

49. A core role of the iTravel Team is advising schools about how to increase sustainable travel and also how to address issues such as excessive parent parking, which is a common enquiry to us. So far one officer in the team has been carrying this role out.

50. This year, with the Sustrans contract ending and the officer leaving the team, the role has been shared amongst the 6 team members.

a. Schools will benefit from the experience and skills of the whole team

b. The team will be less reliant on one officer and each officer in the team will have variety of work (not just schools work)

c. The team itself will become more knowledgeable about the schools work. It will be more able to plan how our services can be adapted, e.g. thinking through what can follow the Sustrans travel behaviour change work.

Travel Planning – general

51. The iTravel Team has developed itself to be more focussed on travel planning – encouraging other organisations to take action on their travel, often through travel plan documents.

52. We have developed guidance for ourselves and travel plan authors to standardise and maximise how travel plans are written for the planning process.

iTravel Programme: 22/23

53. We have only received an indication that funding will be available for 22/23, without any further guidance.  And so no proposed programme has been submitted to DfT at this time.

54. The approach of the 22/23 programme will be to further develop our support for residential and school travel plans while building on the successes of established schemes and events:

a. Residential Estate Travel Plans: We will continue to develop our ability to support residential travel plans. New residential estates are being developed in York with potential increases of traffic to the local area and citywide. We have a key role in encouraging people moving in to consider alternatives to the car. Overall we will continue to maximise our role of assessing and supporting travel plans as part of the planning process. This will include residential travel plans. Funding to carry out this role could also be available through Section 106.

b. Schools: We will continue to develop our ability to support schools as a whole team. As we familiarise ourselves with the issues and opportunities we will develop ideas for how children can be engaged with following the end to the Sustrans contract. One concept we hope to initiate in 22/23 will be Youth Ambassadors, helping particular children to lead the way in their school. Walk to School Week will take place again in October 2022.  And we will consider another People Streets scheme should funding and the need be identified as well as the capacity of the Council to build more schemes.

c. E-Cycle Switch encouraged people to switch to electric cycles in 21/22. The format will stay the same in 22/23, but we hope to advertise it to people who will benefit the most from having a new way of travelling, e.g. from improved health, job access, travel costs reduced. There may also be a way to expand the range of cycles available in the scheme, including child carrying equipment.

d. E-Cargo Bike Scheme – the e-cargo cycles purchased in 21/22 will be utilised in 22/23, with data collected about their usage/performance. We hope that the bike available for Council use can also be made available to the small number of organisations who expressed an interest in trying one. Social media will be used to share experiences of the cycles, to encourage other organisations (that move items around the city) to buy one.

e. Better Points has a solid base of over 1000 people who have downloaded the app. We hope to double that while making more impact on journey choices – both encouraging new sustainable journeys and encouraging others to persist. Funding allowing we hope to promote bus use more to increase patronage in York. Whether we appoint Better Points again (the supplier) will depend on our procurement process.

f. Walking Festival – we will carry out another festival in September, including inviting volunteers to lead more walks.

g. Active Travel Campaign – with marketing resources produced, we will work with the Council’s Communications Team to promote usage of new cycle infrastructure, including the route planned for the A19. The iTravel Team will complement the marketing with pop-up events and initiatives at organisations and community hubs to engage with potential users of the routes.

h. Car Club – a new role for the team will be helping the Council to manage its contractual relationship with Enterprise Car Club, including looking at potential new locations for cars.

i. Schools post: Funding allowing, with the Road Safety Team, we hope to recruit a new Senior School Road Safety Officer. They would be an extra resource for the schools work: 2 days a week. The other 3 days would be coordinating the School Crossing Patrollers.

55. As the funding allocation is yet to be announced by the DfT the team is undertaking activities for the 22/23 programme where possible using funding carried forward and the team are also assisting with funded projects where the team’s skills would be required. For example, the people streets projects in the Active Travel programme.

Council Plan

56. The key component of ‘Getting around sustainably’ relates to more people choosing to travel by public transport, walking or cycling – both through infrastructure and the iTravel ‘hearts and minds’ work.  The iTravel Programme is referenced in the Council Plan document under this theme. The following key components are also relevant:

a. ‘Good health and wellbeing’ – the programme contributes by encouraging active travel.

b. ‘A greener and cleaner city’ – a switch to sustainable travel from car journeys can reduce both local air pollution and carbon emissions.

c. ‘Well-paid jobs and an inclusive economy’ – the economy benefits from employees and jobseekers finding options for their commute. Footfall to shops and other businesses could also increase, e.g. through promoting walking.

Implications

57. This section considers the wider implications of this report as follows.

· Financial – funding for the 22/23 programme is yet to be announced by the DfT. The 22/23 programme will be brought back to a decision session for endorsement once the funding has been announced.

· Human Resources (HR) – No Human resource implications anticipated at this stage, subject to review following funding announcements from the Department for Transport

· Equalities – The Council recognises its Public Sector Equality Duty under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct; advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it in the exercise of a public authority’s functions). No negative impacts have been identified for people with protected characteristics. In line with the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty, we will continue to make our iTravel Programme schemes and our travel planning services available to a wide range of users and to consult with people with protected characteristics when developing schemes and interventions.  Publicity will be more citywide and we have increased our contact with groups representing people with protected characteristics.

· Legal – No legal implications identified.

· Crime and Disorder - No crime and disorder implications identified.

· Information Technology (IT) - No IT implications identified.

· Property – No property implications identified.

· Other – no other implication identified.

Risk Management

58. This section considers the key risks associated with this report. The key risk is the delay in the department for Transport announcing the funding available to local authorities to undertake sustainable travel initiatives such as those organised through the iTravel programme.

59. Officers will continue to monitor announcements and chase news of the funding to ensure continuity within the team as far as possible.

Contact Details

Author:	Chief Officer Responsible for the report:
Duncan McIntyre iTravel Programme Manager Place Directorate Tel No. 01904 553786	James Gilchrist Director of Transport, Environment and Planning
	Report Approved	√	Date	08/06/2022
Specialist Implications Officer(s)  List information for all Financial:                                        Legal: Name         Patrick Looker              Name Dan Moynihan Title            Head of Finance         Title Senior Solicitor
Wards Affected:					All	√
For further information please contact the author of the report

List of Abbreviations Used in this Report

DfT – Department for Transport