Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits of NICE proposals for pedestrians, cyclists and people who use public transport to have priority over motorised transport when building roads; and what the role of public health bodies in such decisions should be.
Public Health England (PHE) supports National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and is a registered stakeholder for developing NICE guidelines and quality standards. Guidance on physical activity and the environment covers the physical infrastructure and planning needed to make non-motorised transport an easier option, including how to improve the physical environment to encourage and support physical activity, and is available to view at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng90
The recommendations in this guideline should be read alongside NICE's guideline on physical activity: walking and cycling, available to view at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph41
PHE works with the planning sector to help implement NICE guidance through the co-production of resources including ‘Working Together to Promote Active Travel: A briefing for local authorities’ which draws on the evidence used in NICE guidance, available to view at the following link:
Local authorities also play a key role in supporting local planning decisions.