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Data-backed planning tool to advance active travel

Date

Cyclist wearing high visibility jacket on the road opposite a bus and a tram

The Network Planning Tools for Scotland (NPTScot) project delivers a national, evidence‑based platform to support strategic active travel planning across Scotland.

Led by the University of Leeds’ Institute for Transport Studies, the research underpins a web‑based tool that uses high‑resolution data to estimate cycling demand at street level, helping local authorities and partners prioritise cost‑effective, safe cycling infrastructure.

The University of Leeds provides the core research leadership, methodological innovation and open‑source delivery for this nationally significant programme.

Visit the research project page

Impact

  • Enables data-driven policymaking to accelerate the shift to active travel, improving connectivity, health and sustainability outcomes across Scotland.

Key information

  • Partners and collaborators: Transport Scotland, Sustrans, CycleStreets, A/B Street
  • Disciplines: data, transport, policy
  • Investigators: Professor Robin Lovelace, Dr Malcolm Morgan, Juan Fonseca Zamora.

Keywords: active travel, sustainable transport, policy impact, policymaking, governance, decision-making, net zero, cycling, bicycles, biking, cycle lanes, transport planning, urban planning