Changes to local transport infrastructure (like cycle tracks or greenways) and the effects on health and wellbeing in three English regions outside London

ISRCTN	ISRCTN81662685
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN81662685
Secondary identifying numbers	NIHR167654

Submission date: 01/04/2025
Registration date: 01/04/2025
Last edited: 01/04/2025

Recruitment status: Not yet recruiting
Overall study status: Ongoing
Condition category: Other

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
This research will study how new cycling infrastructure affects people’s travel behaviours, health and wellbeing. For instance, if it means that people cycle more, they will tend to get healthier, because doing more exercise is good for most of us. By cycling infrastructure, we mean schemes like cycle tracks, where part of a road is given to cycling, separate from walking or driving. Or a ‘greenway’ where a footpath is upgraded to also serve people using cycles or wheelchairs. These routes will be separated from motor traffic, as evidence suggests we need this for more people to cycle.
Most evidence about cycling infrastructure in England comes from London, which is quite different from the rest of the country. This study will establish whether the positive results in London, such as a £1 billion health economic benefit from a £100 million investment, can be replicated in other English regions (Greater Manchester, West Midlands, West Yorkshire). These regions plan to build extensive new cycle routes following updated national design guidance, more ambitious than previous standards.

Who can participate?
People will be invited directly through the study to participate, based on where they live. For the survey, we will write to people in 2025 when the study has started. For the interviews and community research, we will invite people through working with our local community partners or from those who have been involved in the study.

What does the study involve?
Every year, we will send an online survey (with phone, post and different language options) to people in the three regions who live near planned cycle routes. This will collect information from 15,000 people each year for several years, so we can look at how people travel, and if and how their travel changes. Some planned cycle routes will be built in this period and some won’t, so we can compare people living near new routes with people who don’t. Personal data will be safeguarded and no one will be identifiable in the results.
Each survey will take up to 15 minutes to complete and will ask people about their travel over the past week. It will include questions about how safe they feel cycling in their area, their overall well-being, and any recent near misses they experienced while traveling locally. This information will help us gain a comprehensive understanding of how cycling infrastructure affects health and wellbeing. For example, we can look at whether new cycle tracks increase or decrease near misses between cyclists and pedestrians. We’ll also look at issues around equality, for instance whether more ethnically diverse areas have worse access to cycle infrastructure than mostly white areas.
Doing interviews will give us a deeper understanding of how people feel about new cycling infrastructure. We’ll interview 75 new cyclists about how taking up cycling has affected them, and working with community partners, we’ll focus on how infrastructure is affecting 60 residents (cyclists and non-cyclists) from specific local ethnic minority communities and/or who are disabled. These groups are chosen because they cycle less than others, are often less involved in consultations, and may have different experiences to other people.

What are the possible risks and benefits of participating?
Those participating will help improve knowledge about the impacts of new cycle infrastructure and will be compensated for their time. There are not considered to be risks beyond those incurred in everyday life, and the study will be monitored by the University of Westminster's Research Ethics Committee to ensure ethical conduct.

Where is the study run from?
The project is led by the University of Westminster with input from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Birmingham University, and the charities Wheels for Wellbeing and JoyRiders. It has been developed with input from local authorities and community groups.

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2025 to March 3030

Who is funding the study?
The National Institute of Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Prof. Rachel Aldred and Dr. Ersilia Verlinghieri, transportresearch@westminster.ac.uk