ED CLANCY OBE NAMED SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S NEW ACTIVE TRAVEL COMMISSIONER

Triple Olympic Champion Ed Clancy OBE has been named South Yorkshire’s new active travel commissioner.

Clancy has been appointed by South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard to work with him to make South Yorkshire a safer and easier place to walk and cycle.

Plans are underway to build more than 620 miles of accessible walking and cycling routes linking South Yorkshire’s towns and cities. The South Yorkshire

Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is investing £85 million in building the active travel network.

Clancy said: “I’m honoured to be South Yorkshire’s new active travel commissioner and I can’t wait to get stuck into the new role. I want to use my platform to break down those barriers that stop people walking or biking to get where they need to go. Too many of us are driving cars, that’s clogging up our roads and making them more dangerous.

“South Yorkshire has some of the deadliest roads in the country and this stops people choosing to walk or ride the short distances they currently drive, which just adds to the pollution and the danger. If you’re scared to cross the road, you’ll use the car instead.

“I’m committed to using my platform to get more people of all ages to walk, cycle, scoot or skate around South Yorkshire and this means giving people a real, safe choice when it comes to their journeys.”

Currently, one in four journeys under 500m are taken by car. According to Public Health England, 700 people a year die prematurely in South Yorkshire because of poor air quality.

Coppard said: “I’m determined to build a better-connected, more sustainable and healthier South Yorkshire and making sure everyone can walk or cycle where they want to is key to that.