AN ACTIVE travel conference will be coming to Salisbury next year in the hopes of boosting alternative methods of transport.

The event will take place at the Guildhall on Saturday, February 24 and is being hosted by The Cycling Opportunities Group for Salisbury (COGS).

It hopes the conference will win the hearts and minds of residents by engaging expert speakers to present evidence and findings on the benefits of active travel. 

These benefits include not just health and well-being but also social interaction and active travel can lead to increased footfall and income for local shops and traders.

Salisbury Journal: COGS Active Travel Conference is coming to Salisbury

Hadrian Cook, chair of COGS said: “I am really looking forward to the conference and welcoming delegates to learn more about the many benefits of active travel in their own communities."

Speakers include:

  • Professor Rachel Aldred  (University of Westminster) - Active travel infrastructure: impacts on health and quality of life
  • Professor Ian Walker  – Does your behaviour have environmental consequences for travel?
  • Isabelle Clement MBE (CEO Wheels for Wellbeing) and Hari Clough (hand cyclist) – What the lived experience of Disabled people teaches us about active travel and why we should listen.
  • Councillor Caroline Thomas  (Wiltshire Council) – Provision of active travel in a rural county market town
  • Peter Walker (Guardian Deputy Political Editor) - Can cycling really save the world – and does the UK government realise this?
  • Councillor Emily Kerr (Oxford) - Are Low Traffic Neighbourhood’s and 15-minute cities just a conspiracy?

The Salisbury Active Travel Conference will involve several sessions allowing attendees to consider how active travel can benefit their local communities. It will be chaired by Professor Graham Smith (University of Westminster).

Tickets cost £12  including teas/coffees and a vegetarian buffet lunch. 

Tickets can be purchased from the COGS website activetravel.life and booking is mandatory.

Sponsors of the conference include Salisbury City Council, All the Kit, Hayballs Cyclesports and Stonehenge Cycles.