Short answers, pulled from the story.
Active mobility refers to the transport of people or goods through non-motorized means powered by human physical activity. The best-known forms are walking and cycling, though other modes include running, rowing, skateboarding, kick scooters, and roller skates.
Portland, Oregon, increased bicycle use fivefold between 1990 and 2009 through pro-cycling programs. Studies have found that city-level programs are more effective than encouraging active mobility on the individual level.
Public Health England estimated in 2016 that physical inactivity directly contributes to one in six deaths in the UK every year. Daily walking and cycling are effective at reducing obesity and preventing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and several mental illnesses including depression.
A typical car emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. An average person who cycles one additional trip per day while cutting one car trip for 200 days a year reduces their mobility-related lifecycle emissions by about 0.5 tonnes. In New Zealand, active mobility has been found to reduce national carbon dioxide emissions by 1% annually.
Active mobility accounts for more than 40% of commuting in Dutch urban areas, supported by 35,000 kilometers of dedicated cycling paths. The Dutch government estimates approximately 1.3 bikes per person in the Netherlands.
England's Gear Change plan, released in 2020, aims to make England a great cycling nation by creating cycling and walking corridors, low-traffic neighborhoods, and school streets. It was accompanied by two billion pounds in additional funding for cycling and walking announced in May 2020, plus a new inspectorate called Active Travel England.