England’s thrilling win last night at the UEFA Women’s EURO, hot on the heels of last week’s Test victory over India, got me thinking — not just about sporting glory (we can all dream), but about the power of sport to inspire change, build community, and shape behaviour. And then I thought: why can’t transport do the same?
But before we dive in, let’s start with a reality check. Behavioural shifts only matter when people actually have choices. For many, carers, single parents, disabled people, or those living outside well-connected areas, active and sustainable transport doesn’t offer a viable alternative to the car. Cultural change must be matched by service improvements, affordability, and real access. Otherwise, we risk deepening inequality or sounding like we’re preaching from a position of privilege.
Many journeys, especially those made by women, involve care work: school runs, shopping, elder care, multiple stops. These aren’t edge cases — they’re a central part of how and why people travel. If we want real change, we have to support the messy, multi-stop reality of everyday life.
I’ve worked in transport planning for 25 years (and no, I don’t feel that old…), and behaviour change has been on the agenda the entire time. We’ve tried posters, campaigns, nudges, and soft measures. And while the language has evolved, the outcomes haven’t shifted dramatically. Car dependency remains dominant — not because people are stubborn, but because, often, the system makes it the only rational choice.
So what if we stopped treating car use as a failing to fix, and instead saw it for what it often is: a logical adaptation to a system that doesn’t yet support people to move differently?
This is where sport offers something powerful, not because it demands more discipline, but because it creates cultures that support change. In sport, we don’t shame people into doing more. We support them. We build rituals, shape environments, and recognise that people thrive when they feel part of something bigger.
Think of junior sports teams. Kids turn up in all weathers, not because they love running drills, but because of the culture, the team chat, the kits, the post-match banter. Parents rearrange weekends, drive the minibus, and stand on the sidelines, not because they’re told to, but because it’s shared, expected, and part of the rhythm of life. What if transport had that same pull?
Take parkrun. It’s not just a run; it’s a weekly ritual that blurs the lines between elite performance and casual participation. It works because it’s inclusive, free, consistent, and community-driven. You don’t have to be a “runner” to take part, you just have to show up.
Transport needs more of that spirit. Imagine a “Park and Stride Festival” with the energy of parkrun. Or a “Ride and Read” programme linking cycling with local libraries. It’s not the gimmick that matters, it’s the framing. These aren’t just modes of travel; they’re opportunities to build new rituals, new norms.
And crucially, we need to stop thinking about transport purely through a commuter lens. Most travel doesn’t start and end with a single trip to the office. It’s layered, unpredictable, and deeply social.
The best coaches don’t just push harder, they listen. They adapt tactics to the players they have, not the ones they wish they had. We need to design transport systems the same way. Not coaching people to be “better travellers,” but co-designing systems that fit real lives.
British Cycling’s transformation in the 2000s wasn’t just about faster bikes. It was about building a culture of marginal gains, small changes across equipment, mindset, support, and routine. Riders weren’t just coached physically, but emotionally and behaviourally. Transport can do the same.
Want more people cycling to work? Great. Start with protected lanes, but also invest in visible role models, peer support, and a culture that says “this is for you.”
Think of School Streets. Where they thrive, it’s because local parents are engaged, school leaders reinforce the message, and communities take ownership. Where they fail, it’s often because they’re dropped in top-down, with little buy-in. Infrastructure matters, but culture seals the deal.
Peer influence matters too. I’ll do that extra burpee at pre-season, but only if my teammates are doing it too. Behaviour change is social. Yet we still frame transport as an individual decision. What if workplaces had active travel WhatsApp groups? What if whole streets celebrated car-free weekends together?
In both sport and transport, progress is incremental and collective. No team wins a league in one match. No city becomes a cycling capital overnight. But both are about movement, about how people connect with each other and the world. If we see transport not just as logistics, but as culture, we open the door to something much more human.
We also need to get better at learning from failure. In sport, teams analyse defeats. They adapt. In transport, we sometimes declare success too soon or quietly shelve what didn’t work. There are lessons in the missteps too. The e-scooter trial in Cambridge had real promise but missed key areas like the Biomedical Campus. That wasn’t just a logistical gap; it reflected a cultural blind spot in how we understand access.
This all challenges us to reimagine leadership. Coaches aren’t effective through authority alone, they earn trust by listening, being present, and adapting. Transport planners and policymakers need to do the same. The communities we serve are not passive recipients of change. They are co-creators. We must move from “delivering” change to developing it together.
If we take that seriously, our transport systems could evolve not just into greener, more efficient networks, but into healthier, more connected societies. Sport shows us that change happens when people believe they’re part of something bigger than themselves. Whether it’s showing up to training or choosing the bike over the car, it’s easier when it aligns with identity, community, and purpose.
As someone whose two great loves are transport and sport, I find the parallels more than academic. Supporting Sheffield Wednesday (a character-building experience if ever there was one) and Bath Rugby (often thrilling, occasionally baffling) has taught me patience, resilience, and the value of the long view. Playing hockey and cricket over the years has shown me how team culture drives behaviour, in victory and in defeat.
The game is changing. If we want to win, on climate, on health, on equity, we need to build a new culture of movement.
So where do we go from here? What would happen if we planned transport the way we coach a team: by setting shared goals, investing in culture, learning from failure, and celebrating progress? Are we really listening to the communities we hope to change, or are we still broadcasting from the sidelines?
Because if we want people to move differently, we must start by understanding why they move the way they do.
Tim Bellamy is Assistant Director – Transport at Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
Tim originally published this article on LinkedIn on 23rd July 2025
Feature Image: Author sourced