Snippet of the full Components of a Behaviour Change Plan drawing
A concrete and well-designed Behaviour Change plan can play a crucial role in determining the overall success of an active travel infrastructure project.
This can affect everything from the level of early engagement you are able to develop within a community, to the way a project is received in terms of infrastructure usage once construction is complete.
The resources below outline the key elements of developing your own Behaviour Change Plan and should serve as a guide to take your project forward.
Connecting Woodside project - The North Woodside Road/Maryhill Road junction
In the recording below, we hear from Anna Gale from Public Health Scotland, who give an overview of the findings and recommendations from the Health Impact Assessment.
The event poster for the Active Travel in Europe webinar series
Introduction
We hear from a fantastic line up of speakers who present and share experiences of the increase of temporary active travel interventions and strategies during the pandemic in Europe, and how these can shape the way for future long-term measures and solutions. By coming together and learning from each other, it may be possible to keep this momentum going – to transform temporary solutions into more permanent implementations and accelerate the development of sustainable active travel infrastructure across Europe.
The event poster for the Active Travel in Europe webinar series
Paris
Clotilde Imbert, Director of Copenhagenize France, presents case studies from Paris, a city that has seen an increase in temporary cycle paths but also a high increase in cycling since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has an ambitious strategy, ‘Plan Vélo’ to transform Paris into a cycle-friendly city.
According to European Cyclists’ Federation, since the pandemic, France has added €300m in funding for the country’s cycling infrastructure. In the opinion column, ‘A unique opportunity to speed up the implementation of bicycle plans‘ on Copenhagenize’s website, Clotilde expands on her view of the possibilities and strategies that she believes should take place as a next step in creating permanent active travel infrastructure in France.
Brussels
Florine Cuignet, Policy Officer of GRACQ, shares how GRACQ represents cyclists and promotes cycling in the french-speaking parts of Belgium. According to European Cyclists’ Federation, Brussels is one of the cities that implemented the most cycle lanes during the pandemic in Europe. In addition, the country added almost €480m in their cycling infrastructure budget in response to the pandemic.
Last year the Belgian federal government, for the first time, published a cycling action plan for the country. The plan consists of 52 action points that will facilitate and promote cycling, which will be implemented by 2024.
Ed Lancaster, Director of EuroVelo at the independent non-profit association European Cyclists’ Federation, presents case studies from rural areas in Europe. EuroVelo (European cycle route network) is a cooperation between different national and regional partners. The aim is to ensure that there are very high quality European-grade cycle routes and networks across Europe.
In January, EuroVelo presented the news that cycling on the EuroVelo routes have continued rising since the pandemic. In addition, ECF is also partner for the cross-border BIGIMUGI project that ‘aims at developing cycling mobility for all in rural areas situated along EuroVelo 3’.
Ragnhild Sørensen shares more about work that the Berlin-based organisation, Changing Cities, do. As many other cities, Berlin has created pop-up cycle lanes during the pandemic, something that has not been appreciated by all political parties. The pop-up cycle lanes were monitored and developed according to feedback. The organisation has also launched the campaign Kiezblocks in Berlin, where more than 50 local initiatives want to limit the permeability of the road network for motorised individual transport (MIT) while prioritising walking and cycling on non-arterial streets. Kiezblock is a strategy for transformational urban adaptation, initiated by locals.
Panel Session
In this panel session, we welcome back all keynote speakers to answer pre-submitted and unanswered questions. The panel session will also include discussion around key themes identified throughout the series, including:
Evidence suggests that the most efficient mechanism for boosting active travel is a mix of interventions that complement each other (e.g. infrastructure interventions and behavioural interventions like a route planning training).
In Places for Everyone we therefore ask applicants to design a mix of behavioural interventions alongside their infrastructure projects, and present these in a behaviour change plan.
Intentionally developing and implementing a plan of activities will increase the use of new infrastructure at the outset and ultimately increase the impact it has.
Start by considering your local context (the local people and organisations), engage and listen. Design a plan just as you would design infrastructure; in a context specific way and in response to feedback. This may it take more time but is well worth it and important.
School placemaking engagement event - Corstorphine Connections, St Margarets Park
Introduction
This page offers materials and bite-sized, interactive tutorials on understanding and delivering community engagement and behaviour change in Places for Everyone projects.
This includes a practical guide to behaviour change strategies and interventions, as well as a community engagement guide, and the types of community sector organisations. Please note that you can find the references and relevant resources at the bottom of this page.
This page is a work in progress an will be updated with new materials frequently. Your feedback will help shape future sessions and materials.
Developing a Behaviour Change Plan
In this session, we cover:
Why behaviour change plans are important;
What behaviour change plans should include;
Community engagement vs behaviour change;
Involving seldom-heard groups;
Selecting interventions; and
Key points to remember.
Putting Theory into Practice
The session above, “Developing a Behaviour Change Plan”, mentions that one of the most effective mechanisms for boosting active travel is a mix of measures that complement each other. Infrastructure is just one measure we can use. In this session, we take a practical look at how to put together an effective programme that will result in a greater diversity of people using the infrastructure.
In this session we’re going to look at community organisations in a bit more depth. We cover:
Explanation of the terms Community Sector, Third sector and Voluntary sector
Types of community organisation
Legal structures
Social enterprises and BIDs
Community Engagement and Co-production
Our Community Engagement Guide 2022 provides an overview of best practice in community engagement and allows you to easily identify which deliverables and activities are appropriate at each stage in the process. This guide covers:
An overview of community engagement standards that underpin effective and purposeful engagement
Individual cycling and group of friends walking along a new active travel path at Glasgow's Claypits
Partners from local authorities and organisations around Scotland were invited to hear from two guest speakers on how to make the case for active travel.
During the event, delegates were also given the opportunity to join smaller groups to share their own experiences, knowledge and relevant resources.
Setting the scene
Dr David Caesar, Senior Strategic Advisor of Scottish Government shares the benefits of active travel, including how active travel improves public health and tackles health inequalities.
Making the case to residents and the local population
From messaging and communication to focusing on the positives, Dr Paul Kelly, Director of Paths for All and Lecturer in Physical Activity for Health at the University of Edinburgh, advises on how to make the case for active travel to local residents.
We hear from Philippa Gilhooly, Team Leader, Traffic and Road Safety, Scottish Borders Council and Greg Fountas, Lecturer, School of Engineering & the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, who share how they used data and public feedback to convert this temporary 20mph trial to permanent.
I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree.
Joyce Kilmer 1888-1918
Places for Everyone encourages the creation of green space as part of walking, wheeling and cycling projects. This article looks at the benefits of including plants and trees in your infrastructure project and how Places for Everyone can supporting greening.
Why Plants?
Wellbeing
For most people, the ability of plants to lift the senses is something to which they can personally testify; but there is also a growing body of scientific evidence that demonstrates how much planting can benefit the health of both individuals and communities. Attractive places bring people together and increase social contact between neighbours, and are also safer spaces.
Varied planting can make an important contribution to bio-diversity, generating an ecosystem that includes insects, birds and small mammals. Often this means employing a different sort of maintenance regime from approaches many authorities have got used to, but this may not involve more work. Continuous green corridors can prove especially attractive to wildlife, as well as to human users.
Sustainable drainage
The increasing frequency of flash storms and our large acreage of hard landscaping make flooding a growing risk. Planting can be used to trap water and allow it to infiltrate slowly into the ground, so that very little has to be carried away by the drainage system. Inclusion of a gravel layer below the topsoil can increase the amount of water such a system can cope with, and also filter out obstructions that might block pipes. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) can take the form of planting areas into which run-off can flow (rather than raised beds), or shallow depressions, or swales, which can also be made more attractive and effective with suitable planting.
While urban heat islands, and excess heat generally, are less of a problem in Scotland than many places, most people appreciate a shady tree on a hot day, and the need for some further cooling is likely to increase. Plants also cool the air when they use heat energy to evaporate water from their leaves; and they lose heat much more quickly than solid earth or masonry, so that an area shaded by plants will cool much more quickly at night.
Gynack Gardens in Kingussie. A popular destination for village residents, complete with cycle storage and repair facilities.
The Gynack Gardens project in Kingussie is testament to how accessible green placemaking initiatives can be a valuable tool for improving wellbeing and fostering social connections within communities.
Serving as both a direct link to the local school and train station, as well as an attractive events space for arts productions and farmers markets, this polished green space is a popular destination for town residents residents, as well as visitors travelling along the National Cycle Network Route 7 and Speyside Way.
The community completed the works with sheltered bicycle parking and a DIY repair station.
Canal and Claypits
The Claypits Local Nature Reserve in Glasgow. An important home for wildlife and scenic local active travel thoroughfare.
Just a mile north of Glasgow city centre, the Hamiltonhill Claypits is a restored area of natural greenspace which forms part of a key walking, wheeling and cycling route for those in the north of the city.
The site is also Glasgow’s only designated inner-city Local Nature Reserve, managed by volunteers of the Claypits Management Group on behalf of Scottish Canals.
The vision behind the project, delivered by Sustrans in partnership with Scottish Canals and Glasgow City Council, was to connect the residents of Panmure Gate and Woodside via a new active travel bridge.
Currently, the communities are split from one another by the Forth and Clyde Canal.
It was also important that the project cultivate and preserve existing habitats in the area, which would jointly serve as a place for locals to relax, exercise and re-connect with nature.
Working with local communities, a scenic network of pathways and newly installed boardwalks were introduced, allowing wildlif to be more accessible. In addition, community planting of trees and shrubs was introduced to more effectively manage the site ecology.
To the immediate south and west, a state of the art electronic footbridge was built by McKenzie Construction. The Garscube Bridge, which serves as a gateway to the Claypits, spans the Forth and Clyde Canal, and allows the safe intermittent passage of boats, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Chrisp Street Market Community Cycles two children having a cycling lesson
Partners from local authorities and organisations around Scotland were invited to hear from a variety of guest speakers who shared their experience and expertise in influencing attitudes, habits and behaviour.
These sessions are part of the Places for Everyone event programme – Engage · Inspire · Learn
Why it’s important to influence public behaviour
First, we hear from Susanne Mueller, Communities Coordinator, Sustrans Scotland. Susanne highlights two key reasons why it’s important to influence public behaviour, in relation to Active Travel:
Tackling the climate crisis
Improving public health
Leven’s Behaviour Change Action Plan
Next, Susanne is joined by Daniel Prince, Infrastructure Coordinator, Sustrans Scotland and Enid Trevett, Community Engagement Officer, Coalfield Regeneration Trust. They share how the Coalfield Regeneration Trust has successfully co-developed Leven’s Behaviour Change Action Plan. This includes embedding the following values into the Behaviour Change Action Plan:
Local first;
Involve young people;
Using what is already available; and
The spirit of community needs to be fostered through the way actions are delivered.
Cycling Scotland’s Behaviour Change Initiatives
Last, we hear from Katharine Brough, Head of Behaviour Change at Cycling Scotland. Katharine speaks about the Cycling Friendly programme and how the award and grant funding programme works with organisations in a variety of workplace, education and community settings across Scotland. The programme aims to address barriers to cycling and increase access to bikes and cycling rates. The session also touches on the available tools for creating and sustaining behaviour change.
