Millions of people across the UK plan to take walks this winter break, but they may be putting their lives at risk due to a lack of safe walking options. According to a new poll conducted for Slow Ways, a grassroots initiative to develop a national walking network, 71% of UK adults believe that it should be allowed to walk along the edge of privately owned fields if it means avoiding narrow or busy roads with no pavement or footpath.
Founder and CEO of Slow Ways, Dan Raven-Ellison, explains the danger of walking on roads in the countryside. “Going for a walk in the countryside can mean risking narrow lanes, blind bends and fast vehicles,” he says. According to the Department for Transport, two pedestrians are killed and 34 are seriously injured by vehicles on rural roads each week.
The poll also revealed widespread support for an extensive upgrade to paths and access in the UK. 70% of people support the creation of a national walking network that enables people to safely walk to any address in the UK, with new paths and walking routes being created on private land where necessary. Slow Ways, founded in 2020, aims to make this a reality.
“Slow Ways is founded on the principle that we should always be able to walk safely and enjoyably to the places we need to get to,” says Raven-Ellison. “We have that expectation for driving places. We should have the same expectation for walking, which is the healthiest, greenest, most inclusive, most affordable and – I think – most enjoyable way of getting around.”
The Slow Ways national walking network has been developed over the last three years by thousands of volunteers who have mapped thousands of walking routes that connect Britain’s towns, cities, and national landscapes. However, there are still thousands of places where there are no safe or reasonable footpaths, forcing people to walk alongside traffic on roads and lanes.
“The government can make walking places safer and more direct, enjoyable and inclusive for us all,” says Raven-Ellison. “While hikers would benefit from improved access, the people who would benefit most of all would be the 10 million people who live in the countryside and feel these issues day-in-day-out.”
The poll also suggests that improving access for walkers would not only be popular but would also benefit a large number of people. 40% of respondents said they were likely to walk more if such a walking network existed, which could mean 27 million people walking more across the UK.
Slow Ways is calling on the government to work with people, groups, and organizations across the country to develop an inclusive, extensive, and easy-to-follow national walking network, including a significant upgrade in access. They are inviting the public to help by signing up to volunteer with Slow Ways and contributing to their efforts to connect more places across the country in 2025. You can find out more and get involved on their website, www.slowways.org.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.