BackKeep Britain walking in winter
Living Streets has called for crucial walking journeys to be a priority when government and local highway authorities consider their plans for severe winters.
Following the harsh winters of the last two years that caused massive disruption to transport networks, the Winter Resilience Review Panel was commissioned by the Department for Transport and released its interim report in July. Living Streets’ original evidence to the panel resulted in a number of improvements, notably the recommendation that local authorities should produce guidance to ensure that members of the public can clear ice and snow from footways themselves, without being deterred by scaremongering about legal action.
But walking itself was scarcely mentioned in the report and recommendations. This was despite the fact that walking is the main mode of transport for 75% of journeys under one mile, including a huge proportion of essential journeys such as trips to school, the shops or the doctor’s surgery.
In a letter this week, Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets, called on the Panel to include in its final report a specific recommendation for local authorities to prioritise the safeguarding of walking trips. He said, ‘When extreme weather causes local transport shutdown, the very least individuals should be able to do is leave their homes and walk safely to their local shops and services.’
Published on: 02/08/2010
