TfL's Head of Transport Strategy at 'Sustainable infrastructure and green cities' forum

We are very pleased that the Head of Transport Strategy and Planning at Transport for London, Christina Calderato, will join our September debate on 'Sustainable Infrastructure and Green Cities'.

For the last 10 years, she has worked across a diverse range of policy areas at TfL and led the team that developed the current Mayor’s Transport Strategy. In her current role, Christina manages teams leading on freight, road danger reduction, air quality and Healthy Streets.

Future Cities Forum will be discussing how planning and design can encourage healthy lifestyles and travel as well as planning green spaces in cities around joined up housing and transport.

More investment from the UK government is being put behind active travel post pandemic to encourage healthy lifestyles.

The Department of Transport states that the active travel boom seen throughout the pandemic will continue to thrive thanks to a £338 million package to boost cycling and walking across the country. Infrastructure upgrades, changes to The Highway Code and new requirements to ensure that active travel schemes' effects are properly assessed are among the new measures published in recently

The government says this comes after last year saw cycling rise more than in the previous 20 years put together, with the number of miles cycled on British roads rocketing by 45.7% to 5 billion.

Independent opinion polling and new research also published by the DfT shows that active travel schemes are supported on average by a ratio of two-to-one.

As the UK prepares to host COP26 later this year, these initiatives will play a key role in the government's drive to build back greener from the pandemic and achieve net zero emissions by 2050

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

'Millions of us have found over the past year how cycling and walking are great ways to stay fit, ease congestion on the roads and do your bit for the environment. As we build back greener form the pandemic, we're determined to keep that trend going by making active travel easier and safer for everyone. The £338 million package marks the start of... enabling more people to make those sustainable travel choices which make our air cleaners and cities greener.'

The announcement builds on the Prime Minister's £2 billion gear change cycling and walking programme which was announced exactly one year ago.