The government has announced a £2bn package to create a new era for cycling and walking. It might be a response to the pandemic but the pledge is an important step towards putting people and the environment first.

Having advocated for recalibrating the “movement hierarchy” through the VeloCity project for the past three years, and not least as the parent of a pre-schooler affected by air pollution, I very much welcome the announcement.

In 2017, the Guardian released data showing that 802 primary and secondary schools in London are within 150 meters of nitrogen dioxide pollution levels that exceed the EU legal limit of 40µg/m. I was shocked to find that in our catchment area only one primary school is within the legal limit. After three years, more than a dozen hospital admissions and a cupboard stocked with inhalers, the invisible air around me has acquired a colour and a shape.

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