Isle of Man public health boss calls for renewed active travel push

The Manx government has encouraged active travel as an alternative to using cars

Efforts to get more people to walk or cycle on everyday journeys on the Isle of Man should be renewed, the island's director of public health has said.

Hugo van Woerden said it was worth investing in active travel over a long period to benefit public health.

But Infrastructure Minister Chris Thomas said public funds were "scarce".

While £3.8m was set aside by the Manx government in 2018 to back a three-year active travel strategy, £15,000 has been set aside this financial year.

Mr Thomas agreed that cycling or walking for everyday journeys was "potentially good for many of us of all ages", and said it would be incorporated into highways schemes where it was possible to do so.

However, that was limited by the "precious" funding available, he added.

'Future generations'

The Department of Infrastructure had led a strategy, which ended this year, to increase uptake in active travel by creating the necessary infrastructure in order to cut car use and encourage healthier lifestyles.

Giving evidence to a Tynwald scrutiny committee, Prof van Woerden said he supported a "refresh" of the strategy, but warned it required clear leadership and "appropriate funding and accountability".

He pointed to Holland as an example of an area where significant investment had been made "over a number of decades" to build cycling and walking infrastructure that incentivises greater uptake.

"You see all these people cycling and you see all these cycle lanes, you want to jump on a bike and try it out," Prof van Woerden said.

"I think the key is to build an environment where it is easy to cycle to work."

He said although public health only played an "advisory role" to the government, he would support spending more on projects as a way of investing in the health of "current and future generations".