Transport

Walking is the foundation of our transport system. It is the beginning and end of all our journeys, it enables effective public transport systems and easy, direct access to local places and services.

Providing for walking enables all of us to access our local environments, including our children going to school and the less able pedestrians to reach key services such as hospitals, railway stations and bus stops.

More people choosing to walk, more often, to more places reduces traffic congestion and on other forms of transport as well as improving air quality. Walking should not be seen as a competitive mode but the essential link that ultimately makes all other modes possible.

Walk England advocates a holistic and inclusive approach to planning the way we take our journeys. Integrated, people centred policies are known to respond better to our every day needs to travel and yet too often services are planned, managed and judged as successful based on principles of the time saved, the frequency of services and scale of infrastructure.

We need to build environments that give priority to walking and to promote walking as a mode of transport for everyone. Please do share with us if you have examples of where this is happening, at any scale.