Walk, Cycle, or Scoot? We Need You!

Brookes Sport is documenting and sharing active travel routes
Brookes Sport are looking for volunteers to be part of a project to help the Oxford Brookes community safely get into work or to lectures without getting into a car or using public transport… whilst getting a little bit fitter at the same time!
We are looking for people with an interest in active travel who either walk, cycle, or scoot into work or study from any part of Oxford or Swindon, the wider counties, or surrounding areas, and would be willing to document and share their routes onto our campuses.
If you use active travel options to get onto campus to work or study, even if part of your route involves getting on a train or bus, we would love to hear from you.
For more information on being part of this exciting initiative, please email mark.mackintosh@brookes.ac.uk
Or if you would like to get started straight away, please see the guidance below
How to submit your route
The “Active Routes” initiative plans to share walking and cycle routes to help people discover active routes in and out of our campuses and to help people avoid getting in a car or using public transport, whilst getting a little bit fitter and reaping all of the benefits of physical activity in the process.
- Routes must include “active” travel options, but can also include public transport, such as Park & Ride, or train journey
- Should include a map, or particularly for longer cycle routes, a .gpx file (for information on how to create a .gpx file, please email mark.mackintosh@brookes.ac.uk)
- Include a written description with photographs
- Video can be used too – for cyclists with an action camera, this can be ideal
- Only photograph or video when safe to do so
- Images can also be taken from Google Earth to highlight important points
- Focus on “safe” routes.
- Safety is a relative term, as some cyclists are safer on the road than in a cycle lane, for instance, but where more than one option is available, please highlight both.
- Use marked crossings where available, follow the rules of the road, etc.
- When describing your route or creating a map, do not set your start point as your home
- Pick a nearby known location as your start point (a local shop or café, landmark, or main road junction)
- Strava can be used to create .gpx files which can then be turned into Google maps
- Routes can be of any distance
- A short local walk is fine, as is a long cycle from a neighbouring county
- Please include an estimated time with your route. This should be a range to take into account those who may travel at a different pace
- Please include a photo to represent you
- If you submit more than one route, there is no need to upload this multiple times
- You do not have to submit a photo of yourself. Pets, shoes, bicycles, trees – or any other image will be fine. If you do not submit an image we will use a placeholder
Please submit your route via the Active Routes Google Form - uploading any written description as a Word document. Images/video can also be uploaded and should be in numbered order.
Should you have any issues with uploading information, please email relevant items to mark.mackintosh@brookes.ac.uk
Thank you!