Chris Whitty told the Active City York conference that the smallest changes to help people walk, wheel and cycle could transform people’s health for the better.
But he added the weight of science and data needed to be thrown behind active travel as the issue had become increasingly politicised.
The chief medical officer’s comments came as the Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood told attendees the Government was moving on from divisive rhetoric around the issue.
The Labour minister said framing the support of measures to boost walking, wheeling and cycling as a war on motorists had been poisonous.
He added the Government was looking very carefully at how to tackle pavement parking amid calls to ban it and said decisions about 20mph speed limits should be made locally.
His comments came as regional mayors including York and North Yorkshire’s David Skaith backed a commitment to create a nationwide walking, wheeling and cycling network.
Improvements focusing on school runs will be prioritised as part of the wider project which aims to create more than 3,500 miles of safer routes across the country.
Further efforts are set to see integrated transport networks created that connect active travel routes to buses, trams and trains to help boost economic growth and house-building.
The announcement coincided with the opening of Active City York at The Barbican on Wednesday, July 2.
The event, which ran until Thursday, July 3, saw active travel professionals gather for speeches, panel discussions and talks on the subject.
Speakers included York Council’s Labour transport spokesperson Cllr Kate Ravilious and the authority’s Public Health Director Peter Roderick.
The conference opened with speeches from Sir Chris, Mr Lightwood and Labour North East Mayor Kim McGuiness and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard.
Ms McGuiness told the event active travel improvements should include making routes safer for women and Mr Coppard said more efforts were needed to win communities over.
Chris Broadman, Active Travel England’s national commissioner, said the body’s £616 million in Government funding for the next four years would bring transport freedom and improve safety, including for children.
UK Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty speaking at the Active City York 2025 conference. Picture is from Landor LINKS
Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris said active travel could have the biggest impact on people in ill health.
The official added people’s perceptions about active travel including concerns over safety needed to be overcome.
Sir Chris said: “It’s critical to think about the short distances and to build between the spaces that people care about.
“That can be transformational, it’s really important for people’s physical and mental health.
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“This isn’t always politically easy, we need to make the case for active travel based on the science and data.
“If people don’t have the opportunity to get into the habit when they’re children it will be very difficult to do so after.”
Local Transport Minister Mr Lightwood said active travel presented challenges and opportunities but there was an urgent need for work on the issue.
The minister said: “When we ensure that travel is more accessible we see healthier and more cohesive communities.
“It’s about fundamentally re-imaging how cities and towns work and who they serve.
“We know that active travel offers the best return on investment, local leaders have a critical role to play and mayors have the funding to deliver on local priorities.”
