Car-free walking is a movement in the United Kingdom that aims to encourage people who take
recreational walks to use
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
instead of a
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
to get to their starting point.
Principles
Car-free walking was created to encourage walkers to use public transport rather than using cars to reach the start of a walk. This is to reduce the number of cars in the countryside, particularly in
National Parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
, which can cause congestion and inappropriate parking. It is also to support bus and train services in rural areas. Encouraging people not to use their cars is also one of the key aspects of efforts to
combat climate change caused through
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
.
Benefits
Car-free walking has environmental benefits, because it encourages people not to use a car and provides information on how to do this. It also supports
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
in rural areas. The benefits for the walker include the opportunity to walk linear routes that start and finish in different places and the chance to have a drink at the end of the walk without then having to drive. Many of the walking routes suggest a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
at the end of the walk.
Supporters
Many organisations encourage their members to use public transport when walking. Prominent supporters of this approach include:
*
Youth Hostel Association
Hostelling International (HI), formerly known as International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF), is a grouping of more than seventy National Youth Hostel Associations in over eighty countries, with over 4,000 affiliated hostels around the worl ...
(YHA), through their Empty Roads website
*
Ramblers Association
The Ramblers is the trading name of the Ramblers Association, Great Britain's leading walking charity. The Ramblers is also a membership organisation with around 100,000 members and a network of volunteers who maintain and protect the path ...
Websites
National websites
Car Free Walksis an internet-based project to collect car-free walking routes from around the UK. People can find car-free walks throughout the UK or add their own walks. Car Free Walks is part of the growing
car-free movement
The car-free movement is a broad, informal, emergent network of individuals and organizations, including social activists, urban planners, transportation engineers, environmentalists and others, brought together by a shared belief that large and ...
around the world. It has won a number of environmentally themed awards.
The website was created in September 2007 by a group of keen walkers based in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
UK, and features walks in England, Scotland and Wales as well as a news and blog section. Walks on the site can be accessed free of charge, including
GPX-downloads (which requires registration) and printer-friendly versions of each walk. Site visitors can get up-to-date information about public transport to and from the walk as the website links to the
Transport Direct
The Transport Direct Programme was a division of the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to develop standards, data and better information technology systems to support public transport. It developed and operates the Transport Direct Portal wh ...
website. Site visitors can submit their own walks via a walk editor and participate in a quarterly prize draw.
Regional websites
There are many websites describing walks in a particular region or from a particular railway line. These include:
* East Suffolk Line Walks
* Rail Rambles (Wales)
* Car free walks from Richmond (Yorkshire)
* Car free Walks in the Thames Valley and Chilterns
Books
There are several books of car-free walking routes.
* ''Car Free Cumbria: Walking the County Using Lake Steamers, Local Buses and Trains'', A John Gilham green guide, by Jon Sparks, John Gillham, Ronald Turnbull
* ''Walks in the Country Near London'', Globetrotter Walking Guides, by Christopher Somerville
* ''55 555 walks'', Yan Press, by Robert Swain - routes accessible by the 555 bus route from Lancaster to Kendal
See also
*
15 minute city
A 15-Minute City is a residential urban concept in which most daily necessities can be accomplished by either walking or cycling from residents' homes. The concept was popularized by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and inspired by French-Colombian scienti ...
*
Carfree city
A carfree city is a population center that relies primarily on public transport, walking, or cycling for transport within the urban area.
Districts where motorized vehicles are prohibited are referred to as carfree zones.
Carfree city models have ...
*
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is usually a shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Greenways are frequently created out of disused railways, canal towpaths, utility ...
*
Pedestrian zone
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
*
Walkability
Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...
*
Walking audit
A walking audit is an assessment of the walkability or pedestrian access of an external environment. Walking audits are often undertaken in street environments to consider and promote the needs of pedestrians as a form of transport. They can be u ...
References
Sources
Tourism issues - Too much trafficEmpty Roads
External links
Car Free WalksEast Suffolk Line WalksCar free Walks in the Thames Valley and Chilternsold-classic-cars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Car Free Walking
Car-free movement
Walking in the United Kingdom