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Walking Strategy

6. Action Plan

The Objectives, Actions and Lead Bodies in this suggested Action Plan come from the Government’s ‘Encouraging Walking: advice to local authorities’. For completeness, we have included the full list of actions from this publication, even though some of the items apply almost entirely to Central Government and other agencies, and others are actions which we have already completed.

The Action Plan also lists in detail a number of ways pedestrian security and movement could be helped. All of these are now included in the general guidance which has been published in the comprehensive new ‘Guidelines for Providing for Journeys on Foot’, published by the Institution of Highways and Transportation (‘the IHT Guidelines’). As the Council is intending to adopt these as standard practice, only a simple reference to the Guidelines may appear in the Action Plan against a particular action.

OBJECTIVE	ACTION	BY JULY 2001	BY MARCH 2002	BY MARCH 2005	LEAD BODIES
PROPER CONSIDERATION FOR WALKING	Policy, funding and guidance should reflect the higher priority now attached to walking.				Central Government
	Set local targets for encouraging walking, for particular types of journey and for environmental indicators such as footway and footpath condition.	Measure existing walking levels to work in Bath, Keynsham and Norton-Radstock Initiate reporting system for dealing with footway and footpath condition complaints (see below under maintenance actions in People-Friendly Facilities)	Achieve progress towards targeted increase in walking trips and reduction in footway and footpath condition complaints	Achieve targeted increase in walking trips and reduction in footway and footpath condition complaints	Local authorities
	Look at setting out a formal order in which planners should consider the needs of different types of transport, as in York etc.	(Already adopted as a principle.) Run training courses for technical staff on detailed design of facilities for walking.	Local authorities
INTEGRATING WALKING INTO TRANSPORT, LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING	The Government is revising land use and development guidance to increase the emphasis given to walking in planning and development. All organisations involved should follow the guidance.	Incorporate revised PPG13 advice as appropriate into Local Plan Revision, Supplementary Planning Guidance. All planning applications to consider impact upon walking	Central Government, local authorities and developers
	Where developments will generate a lot of travel, aim to place them in existing centres, so they are accessible by walking.	Local authorities
	Retain existing facilities and develop new ones in neighbourhood centres as far as possible, so they are within walking distance of people’s homes	Local authorities
	Ensure walking journeys within and around developments are safe, convenient and attractive.	Ensure that proposed Southgate development (Bath) will provide quality walking environment for users of shopping centre, bus and rail station	Ensure similar attention to walking needs at all other developments being proposed	Local authorities and developers
GATHERING DATA	Include pedestrian groups, other organisations and the wider community in consultation on transport policy and provision.	Joint Liaison Group already set up, meeting 6 times a year	Local authorities and transport operators
	Regularly review the facilities for walking, and make sure local people have the opportunity to raise issues and identify problems.	Publish Walking Audit guidelines Publish results of initial pilot study Continue program of audits	Continue program of audits.	Local authorities
PROVISION OF HIGH QUALITY NETWORKS	Provide high quality networks, particularly between key destinations such as residential areas, schools, shopping areas, bus stops, stations and places of work.	Design walking networks for Bath, Norton-Radstock and Keynsham Consult with local interest groups and public	Implement 25% of network, concentrating on identified priority routes	Complete network	Local authorities
	Reduce the impact on walking routes of heavily used roads, derelict land, industrial areas and other factors which discourage use.	Ensure regeneration plans for Radstock SRB, Western Riverside, provide quality walking routes as a by-product Review footways on urban and rural roads	Ensure similar opportunities seized in other regeneration sites to improve the walking environment	Local authorities and developers
	Improve links between walking and other modes of transport within the network. Make access to transport interchanges easy, safe, convenient and well-signposted for all users, including disabled people.	Ensure convenient solution to transport interchange at Southgate (Bath) Review conditions at other rail stations for pedestrian and disabled access and make recommendations for improvement Continue programme of quality partnerships to improve accessibility of bus stops	Implement recommended action at rail stations and bus stops throughout B&NES	Local authorities and transport operators
	Follow guidance on providing for both pedestrians and cyclists.	Incorporate guidance in IHT Guidelines and other sources into continuing professional training of technical staff	Local authorities
	Make walking networks convenient and safe, particularly at junctions, crossing points and transport interchanges.	Undertake remedial programmes to remedy defects identified in audits	Local authorities
PEOPLE-FRIENDLY FACILITIES	In areas of high pedestrian activity, consider lowering speed limits, calming traffic and reallocating road space to pedestrians.	Through adoption of IHT Guidelines and staff training, new schemes will be checked for pedestrian-friendliness Existing popular and strategic walking routes will be reviewed	Local authorities
	Establish and evaluate pilot schemes for home zones.	Feasibility study undertaken	Implement one pilot scheme	Implement other schemes where likely to be appropriate and effective	Local authorities, central Government
	Ensure that buildings are conveniently and obviously accessible on foot.				Developers
	Improve road safety for pedestrians in conjunction with making routes more convenient for people walking.	Through adoption of IHT Guidelines and staff training, new schemes will be checked for pedestrian-friendliness Existing popular and strategic walking routes will be reviewed throughout the period, and improvements made in accordance with annual spending constraints Traffic management schemes which include traffic signals to be particularly checked for the pedestrian-friendliness of signal timings	Local authorities
	Designing to reduce crime both for walking routes and multi-purpose spaces, without making walking less convenient.	Planners in consultation with police and the wider community
	Identify and target for action locations where crime or fear of crime is acting as an important barrier to walking.		Local authorities and police
	Provide crossing facilities that people will choose to use. This will help to remove conflict between safety and quick, efficient crossing of the road.		Local authorities
	Consider increasing the frequency of pedestrian phases in the signal cycle.		Local authorities
	Consider minor improvements of crossing facilities, such as increasing the distance between the traffic stop line and the crossing, or reducing the crossing distance.		Local authorities
	Maintain footways and key footpaths to a high standard.	Through adoption of IHT Guidelines and staff training, develop footway condition monitoring and maintenance programme Existing popular and strategic walking routes to be reviewed throughout the period, and improvements made in accordance with annual spending constraints	Local authorities
	Review the rules covering the co-ordination of work and the quality of reinstatement of footways and footpaths following utility excavations.				Central Government
	Minimise disruption and inconvenience to pedestrians during footway works.	Through adoption of IHT Guidelines and staff training, develop footway condition monitoring and maintenance programme Existing popular and strategic walking routes to be reviewed throughout the period, and improvements made in accordance with annual spending constraints Follow IHT Guidelines on implementation of New Roads and Street Works Act relating to footway and footpath reinstatement after utility works	Utilities and local authorities
	Reinstate footways to a high standard after street works.		Utilities and local authorities
	Remove superfluous street furniture.		Utilities and local authorities
	Make sure that street furniture is well-designed and -placed.		Utilities and local authorities
	Place and trim trees and other plants so as not to get in the way of people walking.		Local authorities and landowners
PROMOTION AND INFORMATION	Publish walking route maps which connect well with public transport information.	Commission design for on-street maps of walking routes / public transport connections in central Bath	Install maps in appropriate places Prepare maps of walking routes and public transport connections in Keynsham and Norton-Radstock	Install maps in appropriate places Publish walking guides to B&NES urban areas	Transport operators, voluntary groups and local authorities
	Signpost walking routes clearly.	Design new signing style for central Bath in conjunction with artist-in-residence Review of pedestrian signing in Keynsham and Norton-Radstock	Implement central Bath re-signing Bringing direction signing up to standard in Keynsham and Norton-Radstock	Local authorities
	Make it clear who has access and priority in places where it is currently ambiguous.	Existing popular and strategic walking routes will be reviewed throughout the period, and improvements made in accordance with annual spending constraints	Local authorities
	Support TravelWise, travel plans, school travel plans and other initiatives, and improve routes used by them.	Consider joining TravelWise consortium of local authorities Work with Envolve and other agencies to promote walking as part of a balanced sustainable transport plan for B&NES, its employers and other organisations	Local authorities’ health bodies, education providers, employers, transport operators and voluntary groups
	Raise awareness of the problems encountered by pedestrians amongst other road users.	Road Safety to consider appropriate campaigns to discourage footway parking, inconsiderate footpath and footway cycling, dog fouling, obstruction of walking routes by retailers etc.	Central Government and local authorities
	Produce and distribute material promoting walking as part of a healthy lifestyle.				Central Government, the HEA, health authorities and NHS Trusts

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