Active travel is a great way to get around, it is great for your mental and physical health and is an easy way to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity! Some of the health benefits of physical activity include:
- Improved health – strengthened immune system
- Good for your heart and lungs
- Decreased risk of heart disease
- Increased energy levels
- Weight loss
- Has the potential to cut your risk of heart disease by up to 50% and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
The NHS website Change 4 life has loads of ideas to help you get out and be more active, as well as information on how to make healthier food choices.
Getting Around
One of the best things about walking is that it is FREE! Also, many places offer free, secure bike parking. By walking or cycling, you can avoid parking and petrol charges, and can also save yourself from having to buy a gym membership!
By walking and cycling to your destination, you are also actively improving your environment. Active travel produces no pollution, and also reduces local traffic and congestion.
Click on the image link to a see a plan of the area with typical journey distances and times to key local destinations.
Embed image of Accessibility Map – to be provided.
Kent Connected is a great, FREE journey planner tool that allows you to make smarter travel choices regarding your health, time and the environment. The tool shows live bus and train times and provides different route suggestions for walking and cycling. This tool can also integrate different travel modes, making travel planning easy.
Alternatively the Traveline website is a great source for planning your journey and offers a variety of options for travel along with maps of the area.
Walking
Walking is doesn’t just have to get you from A to B, but can also be a great way to get to explore your local area. Click here for some walking routes people have created in your local area.
Cycling
To encourage you to consider cycling as a realistic and affordable alternative to the car we are offering you a FREE Subsidised Travel Voucher worth £100 (included in your Residents Travel Pack) to help you get started. The FREE Travel Voucher can be used to purchase anything online at Chain Reaction Cycles.
Cycle Training
CycleSafe offers a wide range of Cycle Training in Kent to help get more people cycling, more often and more safely. Whether you’re a complete beginner, would like to boost your confidence or want to develop more advanced skills, it’s easy to get some training with CycleSafe that fits your needs.
Local Cycle Group
For those who fancy meeting some new people and taking in the local scenery, try joining a local cycle group such as
West Kent CTC group. The CTC group organise rides for all abilities with listings on their website of forthcoming rides and distances.
Cycle to Work Scheme
Have you considered cycling to work, but you don’t have a bike. The government cycle to work scheme provides the opportunity for you to purchase a bike through your employer and make savings on the VAT. Savings can vary but you can save approximately 40% on the purchase of your bike. For more information see the cycle scheme website.