Edinburgh Napier University

  The benefits of using walking and cycling as a means of daily transport
are numerous and well documented (Rabl & de Nazelle 2012,
de Nazelle et al 2011, Larkin 2009, Cavill et al. 2008, Saelensminde
2004). Targets for increased active travel are being written into transport
policies with increasing frequency, especially in cities in North
West Europe, with local authorities recognising its importance in future
mobility and providing funds to increase levels of walking and
cycling in the population. However, this is not the case in all European
cities. New Member States and countries in Southern Europe, in particular,
tend to have low levels of political support and high levels of
private car use, even for short trips. So how do we convince such
cities of the benefits to them of increased levels of walking and cycling?
This chapter examines the perceived effectiveness of different
methods for transferring new ideas about active travel to stakeholders
from 10 European countries taking part in the EU-funded Active
Access project. The impact of cultural barriers will be examined and
conclusions drawn about the design of future multi-national projects
to maximise their impact on policy transfer affecting active travel
modes.