Concern over low number of people in Bassetlaw who walk to work

As the lockdown is gradually lifted and people head back to work, the Government has announced emergency funding and measures to make the roads more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly.

New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that only 12 per cent of people in Bassetlaw walked to work in the three months to December, with the vast majority of people travelling to work by car or van.

Grant Schapps MP, the transport secretary, has announced a £250 million emergency package for England to boost cycling and walking, warning that public transport will only be able to cope with ten per cent of usual numbers if passengers are to abide by social distancing rules.

Separate figures from the Department For Transport also reveal that a third of residents in Bassetlaw go for a stroll less than once per week, while 26 per cent do so less than once a month.

And when it comes to cycling, 83 per cent of residents do not manage to fit in a monthly bike ride.

Nine organisations, including Greenpeace and the Transport Action Network, have written an open letter to the Government and local authorities calling for more action to promote walking and cycling.

They have called for wider pavements, protected cycle tracks, networks of low-traffic neighbourhoods, and the installation of bus gates, bollards and planters to limit traffic in residential and shopping streets.