Activity Levels
Activity levels in the Whitby and District area are not as high as they could be. The below maps show walking and cycling levels from the Active Lives Survey of 2020. Walking levels are average for the county, and indeed country. Cycling levels, on the other hand, are significantly below average, largely due to the presence of very little infrastructure.
If we look at the possible reasons behind these activity levels
- Walking – many parts of district not pedestrian-friendly – crossings providing priority for pedestrians are required in many places.
- Cycling – very little infrastructure and consequently the risk perception on roads takes over.
- Geography – hills put people off. The e-bike alleviates this for cyclists.
- Road Traffic Levels – volume of cars, car sizes/speeds.
- Risk Perception – puts people off using a bike or even walking when infrastructure is lacking.
- Disability Barriers – access prevented in some places. Steep access to CinderTrack puts off disabled.
- Ageing Population – reduced perception of speed, increased risk.
Vehicle Noise Map for Whitby
Please note also the road noise map for Whitby (Source: DEFRA/DfT, 2017, 24hr averaged road noise), highlighting the primary arterial roads and the impact of road traffic on the lives of residents in those areas. Note that this is also indicatory of the levels of road particulates. Noise and particulates have direct and indirect linkage to physical and mental health of people in those areas. This is something that increased active travel (and reduced vehicular travel) can make a massive impact on. When designing an active travel network, the priority has to be around either avoiding the areas with high road noise, or implementing measures to reduce the noise.
