My Active Travel Journey in Greater Manchester
Georgina Shadrick is a Research Assistant at the University of Manchester and part of our transport case study. As a Public Health Research Assistant, she is part of a team looking into the factors that enable and restrict people’s ability to be active and what that means for their health. Here, with Research Assistant Ratendra Chauhan, she explains how local residents are helping to shape transport research and her own changing travel experiences.
As someone who’s lived across different areas of Greater Manchester and recently become involved in TRUUD’s active travel research, I’ve come to realise how important transport choices are in shaping our health, and how urban design can either support or restrict those choices.
During my first couple of years living in Greater Manchester, cycling became integral to how I experienced my new home. I felt lucky to live close enough to places of work, study and social events that I could rely on my bike for transport. It wasn’t just a mode of transport, it was a way of finding my way around a new city, discovering new areas, feeling more connected and a way of incorporating exercise into my day to day.
When I moved into an area further from the city centre, this active travel evolved into being part of a longer journey, taking my bike on the train with me.
Barriers on the Road: Weather, Safety, and Distance
Despite its clear benefits, active travel in Manchester isn’t without its challenges. Having moved up from the South-West, I quickly learnt the importance of being prepared for unpredictable weather.
As I now I live further from city centre, I’ve found myself relying more on my car for commuting. Combining cycling with public transport often takes over an hour, and train disruptions are frequent. In fact, public transport can sometimes cost more than petrol. On sunny days, I still enjoy cycling along the canal, but safety concerns, especially returning home after a late shift, make driving the more practical option. I’m fortunate to have that choice and my involvement with the TRUUD project has helped me reflect on how I might reintroduce more active travel into my daily life.
What We Heard: Insights from PPIE Participants
Through our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work, we spoke with Greater Manchester residents living with long-term health conditions. Many of their experiences echoed my own. Participants highlighted how much of GM is not designed with active travel in mind, particularly in deprived areas where street often safe infrastructure for walking, wheeling, or cycling.
Safety concerns, high public transport costs, poor weather, a lack of incentives and equipment were recurring themes. For those with mobility challenges, these barriers are even more pronounced, making active travel feel almost impossible. However, the benefits of walking through green spaces, the value of “getting your steps in” on the way to public transport and the potential of incentive schemes to encourage more active choices all contributed to participant wellbeing,
Looking Ahead: What Needs to Change
For active travel to be a realistic option for more people, particularly for people living in deprived communities, we need to listen to the residents of GM and focus on:
- Streets that are designed for safe walking, wheeling, or cycling.
- Public transport that is more affordable than private transport.
- Sustainable changes that make active travel more appealing while also making GM more resilient against extreme weather (such as permeable pavements, and more green spaces.)
- Incentives or reward schemes to encourage active travel choices, including by employers.
- Continue to work alongside residents through each stage of research and planning through PPIE.
Next steps
Informed by our PPIE findings, we’re now undertaking a rapid review to synthesise existing literature on behavioural change incentive interventions for active travel. The aim is to identify the approaches that can complement the infrastructure developments planned across Greater Manchester.
Active travel has played a huge role in how I connect with my own health, where I live and my work. With TRUUD’s mission to bring health, equity, and sustainability to the forefront of decision making around urban development, I am hopeful that active travel in GM will not just be encouraged but enabled. By continuing to communicate and collaborate with communities, to create the right infrastructure changes, incentives, and campaigns, we can create a future Greater Manchester that will be a healthier, cleaner, and more connected.
Check out the Greater Manchester intervention page and their briefing note on the Active Travel work.
