I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog lately: partly due to some exciting news that has also meant lots of stuff to organise! As some may have seen, I’ve recently been awarded over £500,000 over three years by the Quintin Hogg Trust to set up the Active Travel Academy at the University of Westminster. Combining research, teaching, and outreach, the Academy will make connections across disciplines to generate and share new knowledge about walking, cycling, wheeling, e/micro-mobilities, and reducing car use.
I’m delighted to announce that we are recruiting two posts, one Senior Lectureship & one Research Associate, to join the Academy. We’re also recruiting for three PhD studentships – one in micro-mobilities, one in evaluating small active travel interventions, and one looking in depth at interactions between road users and how these are perceived/narrated.
The Academy’s activities will include…
– Organising workshops, summer schools, events in London and internationally
– Developing, piloting, and applying for funding for new research project ideas
– Setting up a new open access journal without author charges (TBC)
– Diverse ways of generating and sharing knowledge, e.g. streaming/podcasts, complementing more traditional academic channels
– New short courses and inter-disciplinary teaching, and Masters-level placements on research projects
– Two international visiting fellows hosted annually (through a competitive applications process)
…and lots more!
Pilot project ideas that members of the new Academy are currently working on include collaborations with computer science colleagues around machine learning and around near misses, working with health colleagues around measuring impacts of electrically assisted active travel, and much more.
Updates on various aspects of this to follow, soon…
Introducing the Active Travel Academy
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This is really exciting news, Rachel. I hope there is scope for JoyRiders London to be involved in some way in this initiative.
So much potential and some brilliant ideas here.
Congratulations for securing this funding and may it be a profoundly successful initiative!
Rachel afPE would be interested in speaking with you to see if there is anything we can do to promote or support you. Our interest is the impact your work will or could have on children and young people
Will there be an Active Travel website, blog or Twitter page?
The Chemroute Vision linking Chichester and Emsworth mostly along the A259 (part of NCN 2) was Founded over 7 years ago by Rupert Emerson (a professional in sustainable transport). Although under WSCC Highways, Highways England (through an FOI) released their Chemroute Feasibility Study in July – an NMU (non motorised users) single shared-use pavement through several villages, which is now going to detailed design phase – contrary to Ltn 1/20 and the needs of all users. We’re wanting this to be a DfT Little Holland Pilot scheme – ideal cycle route: was a former Trunk Road, flat and mostly wide, but very dangerous with serious collisions and fatalities. Massive potential to increase bike use! Any interest to WestminsterUniversity, please?