Active Travel Annual Progress Report 2022/23

The actions taken to promote active travel journeys

• A very wide-ranging communication programme was undertaken to promote awareness of active travel in Torfaen in 2022-2023. These ‘comms’ were through face-to-face meetings, online through Teams/Zoom meetings, presentations, social media, website, email, direct mail etc. Torfaen Council social media feeds have been used multiple times targeting all audiences.
• The ‘comms’ programme has been consistent throughout the year promoting events such as walk to school week, cycle to school, active travel blog and news updates on future/completed schemes and schools undertaking Active Travel School Plans with parents surveys.
• We engaged with all Torfaen schools, for Walk and Bike to School national initiatives and a special Public Health Wales Active Travel to School initiative.
• We undertook Public Health Wales active travel hands-ups surveys at schools and continued rolling out the Active Travel School Plans with several schools.
• We worked with other providers such as the Torfaen Play Services supporting their young volunteer staff in delivering services to younger children providing training information for road safety and active travel. During the school holiday period the active travel team worked with Torfaen Play Scheme to reach over 2000 children promoting active travel through trip-ometers and family breakfast club drop-ins. Providing 20 minute walking and cycling maps from all venues which included the ATNM routes.
• We engaged with a number of disability groups including the Torfaen Access Forum group including AT presentations site meetings walking through routes and consulting on improvement schemes.
• Once again, this year, there has been an active travel emphasis in communications to Councillors and residents on SRiC and AT schemes being developed and constructed. Similarly, there was a greater active travel emphasis in Torfaen Highways responses to enquiries from residents and members of the public.
• There was a stronger emphasis on AT provision when reviewing new Highways development requests and planning applications and departmental awareness of active travel is greater than ever within Torfaen County Borough Council.
• We continued to deliver National Standards cycle training and the traditional cycling proficiency training which provides young cyclists with the necessary training to be safer and more competent cyclists.
• We continued with child pedestrian training.

The actions taken to secure new active travel routes and related facilities and improvements

• Completed the construction of the SRiC/AT shared route at Llantarnam Primary school through the field (Future route CW-FR-16) and designed the next section for construction for following year.
• Completed Edlogan Way phase 2 AT route (INM23). This included route widening over a 650metre length, a new Toucan crossing, benches at local shops and cycle racks at shops and at Croesyceiliog primary school
• Completed route widening on a 1200metre length of Cwmbran Drive AT and NCN492 route with links to Pontnewydd village (section 2). Also developed designs for the next section to be improved (section 1)
• Completed dropped kerb improvements and removed restrictive barrier to Clomendy Rd and Greenforge Way crossing point CW-FR-74.
• Completed upgrade of Right of Way access path to food factory from Llantarnam Road (part of INM32)
• Resurfaced a poor quality section of Future route BL-FR-06
• Installed more Dropped Kerbs (DK) on the DK improvement programme on an active travel route along New Road New Inn, The Highway Croesyceiliog, Greenforge Way Cwmbran, Estate Road Pontnewynydd and other locations. Also additional DKs provided on Basic Network through Torfaen match funding
• Installed new movement Counters at 15 locations to measure active travel usage in Torfaen on key routes. The new counters include telemetry to report data back to a host on a daily basis. Data is then available for officers to review and analyse
• Completed a comprehensive Cwmbran Drive AT Severance Study  exploring an opportunity to improve pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities across the A4051 Cwmbran Drive
• Progressed the design and/or feasibility studies on several future AT routes, working through various stage-gates towards future bids for construction
• Designed and installed a number of AT route signage improvements
• Undertaken ‘letter drop’, ‘drop-in’ consultations and walking routes with disability groups to gather feedback on proposed AT improvements and routes
• Ongoing and continuous review of  active travel audits of all AT existing and proposed future routes in Torfaen to assess future work required to be undertaken
• Development of a new more detailed AT Prioritisation tool for Torfaen and contributing to the development of the TfW Wales-wide Prioritisation tool

Costs incurred for new active travel routes and facilities and improvements of existing active travel routes and related facilities carried out in the preceding full financial year

• £1,602,779

In addition to the above, the following information provides an overview of infrastructure that has been implemented during the previous year

Indicative spending for new active travel routes and facilities and improvements of existing active travel routes and related facilities funded or part funded by third parties.

• £86,985

Length of new routes (walking, cycling, shared use)

• Walking – 0
• Cycling - 0
• Shared Use – 180 metres

Length of improved routes (walking, cycling, shared use)

• Walking – 240 metres
• Cycling – 0
• Shared Use – 3515 metres

New and improved active travel facilities

• Installed seating (benches) for resting at several locations along active travel routes, installation of several cycle storage facilities at schools and in local shopping areas, wayfinding signage and litter bins