A free online tool built by Cambridge researchers is helping planners design exercise into our towns and cities across England and Wales, and is now being used by 81 organisations. In Greater Manchester, for example, the Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) tool has provided an evidence base to inform cycling investments needed to create the ‘Bee Network’ to make active travel the most attractive choice for getting to work, school and the shops across the city-region. The plan is to create 1,800 miles of walking and cycling routes at a cost of £1.5 billion, but will return an estimated £6 billion in health, social and air quality benefits. The researchers are now building a new open source agent based model of travel behaviour and health for Greater Manchester, with the potential to represent all travel modes and all trip purposes.
Added 9 November 2022; updated 4 May 2023.