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Time:
UK – 17:00hrs – 18:00hrs
Doha -19:00hrs – 20:00hrs

The IHE Middle East Branch would like to invite you to their online technical CPD webinar on Monday 20th May 2024. 

Details

The promotion of active travel is a critical component of sustainable mobility strategies. Active travel, encompassing modes such as walking, cycling, and other human-powered forms of transportation, offers multifaceted benefits ranging from environmental sustainability to public health improvements.

This presentation delves into the background, global recognition, benefits, barriers, and actionable solutions for promoting active travel.

As cities worldwide grapple with issues of congestion, pollution, and public health, the importance of promoting active travel has become increasingly evident. A number of authorities globally have ambitious decarbonisation targets in transportation over the next couple of decades. Achieving modal shift from private cars to active modes of travel is integral to achieving these targets.

This is further underscored by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which emphasises the significance of active travel in achieving objectives related to sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3).

Active travel offers a myriad of benefits across environmental, health, and economic dimensions. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating air pollution to promoting physical activity and improving cardiovascular health, the advantages of active travel are far-reaching. Additionally, active travel contributes to economic prosperity by lowering healthcare costs and enhancing overall productivity.

Despite its numerous benefits, active travel faces significant barriers that hinder its widespread adoption. These barriers include inadequate infrastructure, cultural and behavioural factors favouring car-centric lifestyles, and socioeconomic disparities that limit access to safe and accessible transportation options. Understanding and addressing these barriers are essential for advancing active travel initiatives.

Presenter – Dr. Vivian Robert, Director, Arcadis

Dr. Vivian Robert specialises in road transportation strategy, policy and management and has significant experience in the public and private sectors of working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure objectives are achieved through strong systems-focussed governance.

Vivian currently heads the Road Safety and Active Travel Discipline at Arcadis in the UK. Vivian’s extensive experience includes technical and strategic leadership, mentoring, team development, and programme management.

Vivian has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams on a number of local authority and National frameworks globally including the UK, Qatar, UAE and India with contributions to projects in many more countries.

Vivian has a proven record in road safety, active travel and urban design projects directing, managing, and contributing to a variety of projects specialising in transport policy, vision, strategy and scheme development.

Vivian has authored a number of strategies, standards and guidance documents globally.

He has served as a trusted advisor for local and regional authorities in the UK, and continues to do so.