Project Director: Maxine Gregory (SIRC)
Project Duration: 2020-2021

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) commissioned the creation of a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan to underpin their ambitious Active Travel Implementation Plan. This project included colleagues from CRESR, the Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre (SPARC) and Mosodi.

This project involved the identification of a set of measurable criteria and performance indicators that could be used to appraise active travel schemes, set targets, and monitor overall progress for the regions Active Travel programme and individual schemes. It sought to go beyond traditional transport indicators and incorporate outcomes related to areas such as health and the environment. The M&E Plan aligned with existing evaluation mechanisms and criteria for the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) and Emergency Active Travel Funds (ATEF).

Alongside the development of the M&E Plan, the project also reported on a data scoping exercise to establish the baseline data available, where the gaps were, and propose methods to address these to ensure the effective implementation of the M&E Plan moving forwards.

The project produced a number of outcomes delivered to SYMCA, including the M&E Plan, an accompanying background report, and a baseline data report.

The research team also included Chris Taylor (Mosodi).