On Tuesday 4 February, Beat the Street marked 10 years of delivery in Scotland with a special Parliamentary reception, ‘Walking, wheeling and cycling to an active nation’, at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. The event sponsored by Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, brought together MSPs, Councillors, and key stakeholders to celebrate the programme’s success in encouraging active travel and tackling inequalities.
Since its launch in Scotland in 2015, Beat the Street has:
- Been delivered in 22 locations
- Engaged over a quarter of a million participants
- Inspired communities to travel over 2.5 million miles actively
- Achieved a 15% shift to walking among girls in more deprived areas
- Engaged 13% of the local population during the game phase
Our Head of Insight, Steve Rose, presented a new study which examined Beat the Street’s impact on inequalities and active travel. The research analysed six Beat the Street games in Scotland from 2023 to 2024, tracking 4,011 matched pairs (64% adults, 69% female) to measure changes in commuting habits and walking frequency. Participants earned points by tapping Beat Boxes located on active travel routes and in green spaces, encouraging sustained behaviour change.
Findings show a significant shift away from car use, particularly among women and girls from deprived areas:
- 15% modal shift to walking for young girls from areas of higher deprivation
- 8% shift to walking for women in more deprived areas
- 6% increase in walking for commuting
- Overall 5% modal shift to walking across all participants
- Walking for leisure frequency increased by 0.5 days for children and 0.4 days for adults
- Reduction in car use among all children and most adults
For many participants, the programme has led to lasting lifestyle changes.
“Beat the Street helped me realise it is better to walk rather than use the car. I felt it got me out of a bad routine as I relied on driving to shops etc., and I have started walking places more often.”
– Female, aged 19-29, East Renfrewshire
The study also identified key enablers and barriers to active travel in Scottish communities:
- 1 in 4 adults cited pavement conditions as a barrier
- 2 in 3 adults do not cycle, with road safety and lack of cycle paths as key obstacles
- 50% of adults identified well-maintained, well-lit pavements as essential for walking
- A third of adults viewed segregated, off-road cycle paths as crucial for cycling
- More deprived (SIMD 1-4) communities emphasised the need for engagement and incentivisation activities to encourage active travel
- Less deprived (SIMD 5-10) communities prioritised better pavement quality and maintenance
From 2015 to 2024, Beat the Street Scotland was funded by Paths for All and the Scottish Government’s Smarter Places, Smarter Choices fund. Over this time, Beat the Street has worked in collaboration with councils and local partners to engage communities across Scotland. As the programme celebrates a decade of success in 2025, Intelligent Health remains committed to driving inclusive, sustainable behaviour change.
During the evening, we were joined by speakers from South Lanarkshire Council to discuss the impact Beat the Street brought to the local area over successive programmes. Bronah Byrne, Team Leader for Environmental Health, Planning and Regulatory Services provided an inspirational speech detailing positive community action and Derek Howitt spoke on the activation of schools through the programme in his role as Active Schools Coordinator. The speeches, which were opened by the sponsoring MSP, highlighted the whole system involvement of public, private and communities throughout game delivery. Bringing to life the transformational tool that Beat the Street is.
“I was honoured to host a reception at the Scottish Parliament to celebrate a decade of Beat the Street’s impactful work across Scotland. This milestone is a testament to their achievements in promoting active travel. Walking, wheeling, and cycling are transformative not only for our physical and mental health but also for fostering stronger social connections and a healthier environment. We welcomed champions of active travel to discuss the incredible achievements of the last 10 years and to envision an even more active future for our nation.” – Elena Whitham MSP
With 10 years of success behind it, Beat the Street Scotland continues to inspire communities to walk, cycle and wheel their way to a healthier, more active future.
