The term 'Active Travel' refers to "journeys made by modes of transport that are fully or partially people-powered, irrespective of the purpose of the journey. It includes walking, people using wheelchairs, cycling (including e-bikes) to name a few"[1].
In the Welsh context, Active Travel has made regular headlines as the Welsh Government has implemented guidance and policies encouraging increasing use of sustainable journeys in order to promote public health and respond to the climate crisis[2]. Active travel will be an important topic in party manifestos during the 2026 Senedd elections, meaning it is important to understand the advantages it has for our future generations.
The first benefit of Active Travel focused policies for young children is the positive impact on children's movement. By making communities safer and more accessible for sustainable journeys such as walking and cycling to take place, individuals will begin to experience the benefits of increased movement on a regular basis. This is of particular importance for young children, for whom movement is crucial in both cognitive and physical developmental spheres. Our previous blog covering the importance of movement in the early years covers range of benefits movement provides in significantly more detail, but for the purposes of this blog, the movements experienced by a child partaking in active travel can have significantly beneficial developmental impacts.
The Welsh Government's physical activity guidelines for children in the early years identifies activities such as walking, biking, scooting, playing and jumping as important methods for which a child can learn the basic fundamental movements so crucial to early years development[1]. All of these activities can take place regularly and at considerable length during Active Travel time. The benefits of this regular movement taking place has a wide range of benefits. Physically, regular movement builds strength, enables the child to engage a wide array of muscles which are not used during sedentary time, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. All of these benefits mean that these health indicators are supported throughout later childhood and into adulthood[2]. Furthermore, this array of movement also helps a child form a relationship with the world around them, engaging in key experiences with their caregiver, making new friends and exploring new environments, which is crucial in their cognitive development such as use of language skills. Play can be an important context for literacy development[3].
This benefit of this connectivity is not only reflected within the child, but also in the experience of the care giver. The caregiver may gain an increased understanding of the child through this increasing connectivity, spending more time with them navigating the active travel routes in the local community. Early caregiver-child relationships are foundational to early development[4], therefore, policies promoting and enhancing opportunities for these interactions to take place is vitally important. Furthermore, encouraging the caregiver to move more is only a positive step in helping more adults across Wales to become more physically active. This would be an important step in reducing levels of obesity, meaning outcomes in later life are improved, as well as the idea of the adult caregiver acting almost as a 'movement role model' for which the child can follow.
A second reason why active travel is so important for children in the early years builds upon the sentiment touched upon at the end of the previous paragraph regarding the enhancement of connectivity between the child and their local environment. In recent decades, significant research has uncovered the fact that children across the UK have lost the 'right to roam' in their local communities[1]. Several reasons have been identified for this in the literature, such as increasing car usage, lack of walking routes and parents becoming less trustworthy of the safety of their local communities[2]. By opening up more pedestrian friendly spaces, Active Travel schemes are making our communities safer, building trust for parents and countering the decades long trend of children being confined to limited areas of exploration.
Opening up communities in this way is vital for children in the early years as it has numerous of advantages for the child's cognitive development. Our local communities are teaming with different smells, feelings, sights and sounds which can ignite the curiosities of young children. The advancement of understanding of these core senses are a crucial part of a child's development[3], meaning policies increasing opportunities for these experiences to take place is vital. As outlined in groundbreaking research from the Alberta Family Wellness center, these experiences are vital in the formation of a child's brain architecture:
“connections are rapidly being formed among brain cells that allow them to exchange information and form circuits. These circuits form the architecture of the brain and are what allow us to interpret information from our environment and interact with the world around us: every thought, feeling, and action we perform originates from our brains”[4].
If society is to place adequate value on the importance of cognitive development, it is vital that policies are pursued which put the needs of the youngest in our society on an equal footing with all other age groups. This vision of equality of opportunity, whilst desirable, is not impossible. A shift in policy emphasis is crucial in enabling this desirable situation to appear.
Therefore, active travel is an important intervention for children's health, countering a current trend of increasing prevalence of sedentary behaviour indoors amongst children. The negative health impacts of this are already being experienced, with recent research published in the BBC detailing the fact that one in three children are being diagnosed with Myopia (short sightedness)[5]. This is associated with increased use of screens amongst the youngest of children, as well as children being more likely to be kept indoors. If policy does not intervene now, the longer-term health impacts of this lifestyle for our youngest children could be significant.
[1] How sad to lose our childhood right to roam, theguardian.com
[2] Community – the Children’s Commissioner’s view childrenscommissioner.gov.uk
[3] Young Children's Understanding of the Role Sensory Experiences Play in Knowledge Acquisition
[4] Early Experiences Builds Brains albertafamilywellness.org
[5]One in three children short-sighted, study suggests, bbc.co.uk
A further huge benefit of Active Travel policies for young children is the fact that policies make travel more accessible and cheaper for their caregivers, helping address issues relating to the cost of living and child poverty. A report produced at the end of 2024 by Barnardo's Cymru and Bevan Foundation titled 'Ending poverty in Early Years' uncovered the worrying statistic:
"Child poverty is strongly linked with the age of the youngest child in a family. More than half (54 percent) of all children in poverty in Wales in a household with a 0-4 year old, some 100,000 children”[1]
This statistic is incredibly concerning, as it means that child poverty rates are highest amongst our society's youngest children. Of course, poverty amongst children of any age group is incredibly concerning, but, highlighting this statistic in this young age group is really important, as there is a wealth of research covering the negative impacts of poverty on young children. Alberta Family Wellness points to poverty being a key driver of 'toxic stress' in children, which has the potential to cause lifelong harms. If you would like to read more about the impact of poverty on young children, you can read a previous blog covering this topic[2].
By providing parents with a cost-effective option which saves them money compared to the growing costs associated with owning a single vehicle, active travel policies work to alleviate poverty for communities in which they target. This is beneficial for child development, meaning that the negative impacts of economic poverty on children are lessened, with families being able to access a cheaper service which gives them greater access to explore their local area. Therefore, active travel policies is intrinsically tied to social justice outcomes for the very youngest children in our society. By opening up communities and enhancing opportunities for movement in a fun and inclusive way which supports the cognitive and physical development of all children and families who use it.
The concluding message is very simple for this blog for all policy makers: keep supporting and financing active travel to ensure a future of sustainable travel which is proven to benefit all individuals in our society. Active travel and social justice & equality of opportunity go hand in hand in ensuring that the youngest children are lifted out of poverty, with their future development being prioritised in policy.
Blog by Leo Holmes, Head of Policy and Advocacy