Rights of way improvement plan 2020 to 2030

The research carried out for this plan revealed several needs Buckinghamshire and the ROWIP need to tackle.

Walking is the most popular outdoor recreation activity in the country. People walk for many reasons:

• to get to work or school
• to exercise
• to enjoy the countryside

Health and exercise is the most common reason and this has increased over time.

Walking is also important for the visitor economy. ‘Good walking country’ is the second highest reason for visiting the Chilterns.

Many people enjoy walking in Buckinghamshire’s countryside with their dogs and are the largest and most frequent class of user.

Public rights of way support better health and wellbeing by providing places for people to exercise.

They are free for everyone to use and there are paths across the whole county. This means that everyone can use them, no matter where they live, their level of income or whether they have access to transport.

Rights of way also support tourism, helping people to enjoy Buckinghamshire’s outstanding countryside and landscape. Businesses and people are attracted to Buckinghamshire due to opportunities for outdoor adventure and recreation. Rights of way are part of what makes Buckinghamshire a great place to live and work.

Choosing to walk or cycle for everyday journeys helps to reduce harmful effects such as air pollution from traffic, as well as improving health. Public rights of way in urban areas link with roadside pavements and cycle routes.

There are many rights of way which lead from towns to the countryside, providing ways for people to leave the town and explore the countryside.

Walking has been described as “the nearest activity to perfect exercise”, being the easiest, lowest cost and enjoyable way for most people to increase their physical activity and to enjoy the outdoors.

A wide range of people use horses to explore the countryside. Horse riding and horse carriage driving make a valuable contribution to rural life and the rural and visitor economy.

However, the length of paths which can be used by horse riders is low when compared with walkers and is extremely low for carriage drivers. These paths are often not well connected or end at busy roads.

This means that horse riders and carriage drivers must use roads, which are becoming busier with traffic.

Issues that need addressing for equestrian riders include:

• not enough routes
• better connected routes
• tackling fly tipping
• overgrown routes
• busy and dangerous roads
• better crossing points or paths on verges
• better gates and surfacing

In the public survey all types of users asked for more information.

People with physical and visual impairments want enough information for them to choose routes.

Information tailored to ethnic minority communities may also encourage use. Working with partners will be needed.

There is a higher ethnic minority population in some parts of Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas across the county border. 13 People in these communities tend to visit the countryside less than other groups of people.

more bridleways, byways and restricted byways and better-connected routes will help horse riders, cyclists, carriage drivers and motorised vehicle drivers (byways only).

New routes coming from housing development should allow as many types of users as possible.

Paths should be as easy to use as possible for people with physical and visual impairments and the ageing population. difficulties include:

• Stiles
• steps
• uneven ground

Research by the government shows that 18% of people with a disability never visit the natural environment. This compares with 8% of the non-disabled population.

Most of the reasons given for not visiting the countryside are because of their condition. People with physical or visual impairments will often have additional needs. They need better information on where to go and what they will come across on the route, for example stiles and steps. Steps, stiles, bridges and other structures on the path need to be in good condition.

Motorised vehicles can only use 11 miles of paths (on ‘BOATs’).

A ‘least restrictive access’ approach means continuing to replace stiles with gaps or gates and making sure the paths are easy to use for as many people as possible.

More can be learned about the needs of people with additional needs from working with partners. See our information about disability access to walking routes.

There is a range of cyclists with different needs:

• mountain bikers want exciting off-road paths.
• leisure and family cyclists prefer traffic-free routes with good surfaces and promotion
• road cyclists also prefer traffic-free routes with good surfaces and promotion

Bridleways, restricted byways and BOATs can be used by cyclists and these routes complement other types of cycle routes.

High levels of development are planned across Buckinghamshire.

The main areas are around Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Haddenham and Buckingham. Local plans set out a total of around 52,800 new homes in the county by 2030. Over 30,000 of these will be in Aylesbury Vale.

Growth pressures are also being felt immediately outside the county in Slough and around the north Buckinghamshire boundary with Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.

This rise in population will have a range of effects including more traffic and more people wanting to access the countryside.

Several major infrastructure projects are also being developed which affect Buckinghamshire. These include:

• High Speed 2
• a third runway as part of the Heathrow Airport expansion
• Western Rail Link to Heathrow
• Crossrail
• East West Rail
• infrastructure accompanying the Oxford/Cambridge Growth Arc (including the proposed Expressway)

In the public survey, making sure development didn’t harm the rights of way network and brought benefits was the highest priority.

Existing paths need to be protected, with no net loss of access because of development. Improvements will also be needed.

Disruption during construction also needs to be minimised. Some parts of the network, especially in southern Buckinghamshire, are already under pressure because of poorly connected paths, major infrastructure projects and a lower length of public rights of way per person.

Work with partners will be essential to deliver larger projects and make sure the needs and impacts arising from new development are fully understood and addressed.

Around Aylesbury there are few large greenspace sites which means that public rights of way are an even more important way for people to access nature.

Public rights of way which link urban areas to the countryside and their quality are important. This is true for paths leading from new housing development as well as from existing towns and villages.

Better quality paths and information are needed. Some information tailored to new residents would support new communities to explore.

The Chilterns are an important green lung for larger towns nearby which will be growing, including Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Princes Risborough.

Partners want these towns to be better connected to the Chilterns.

Routes which can be used by many types of users should be provided through new development, with improved surfaces to reflect their urban setting, but which is appropriate for a wide range of users.

On average, people living in Buckinghamshire are as healthy, or healthier, than most people living in England.

However, there are also smaller areas where people are in poorer health or where there is deprivation. 14 Areas with poorer health include parts of:

• Aylesbury
• High Wycombe
• South Buckinghamshire
• Chesham
• Amersham.

Physical inactivity represents 10% of total societal costs when compared against other public health concerns including smoking, obesity and drug and alcohol misuse. The use of green space is a determining factor in reducing levels of physical inactivity according to UK Active.

Being physically active can lead to better health and wellbeing. Being more active can improve at least 20 different chronic health conditions.

These include coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and mental health problems.

Although over 60% of adults in Buckinghamshire take the recommended amount of physical exercise there are large numbers who don’t do enough to benefit their health. Around 20% of people are inactive. Levels of activity are lowest among the over 65s.

Access to greenspace and public rights of way can increase how active people are in both urban and rural areas.

The benefits of green exercise happen almost immediately. Only 5 minute of exposure improves self-esteem and mood, irrespective of gender, age and health status according to theAll Party Commission on Physical Activity.

We promote routes and make routes more accessible to help those with physical impairments.

Work with partners on health improvement schemes such as Buckinghamshire’s health walking scheme: Simply Walk.

We support walking and cycling to schools particularly in areas with high levels of childhood obesity and help to increase walking and cycling for short journeys.

We encourage active recreation and provide information to increase active travel.

Improve access to the natural environment particularly in areas where there is less greenspace and where health is poorer.

Use rights of way as additional ways to access nature, support walking and cycling and reduce air pollution from traffic.

We aim to help make the places where people live green, attractive and with lots of places to be active outdoors

We work with planning officers to ensure plans, strategies and new developments recognise the crucial role of public rights of way and make sure walking and cycling are a priority in these developments.

The population of Buckinghamshire has changed since the first ROWIP and will continue to change in the future:

• population is expected to grow by 7.5% between 2016 and 2026, reaching around 573,000 people.
• growth is above both the national and regional rate
• most of this growth, 68%, will be in Aylesbury Vale
• the number of older people will rise the most
• the number of working age people will fall
• the trend towards a more diverse population is predicted to continue
• the number of people of ethnicity other than white rose by 82% between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses

The rise in older people will also have an impact on health needs.

There is a clear rural-urban divide, with Aylesbury and High Wycombe, some parts of the Colne Valley and neighbouring areas in Slough, Milton Keynes and Hillingdon with a higher population of ethnic minority people.

In contrast, the rural areas have a higher white population than the South East average.

An older population is likely to have more health and mobility needs. Paths should be made as easy to use as possible.

Programmes such as Simply Walk will be important to help people access the countryside for health.

A diverse population has differing needs and interests. It will be important to recognise this in promotional material and in new projects.

The planned growth will also bring new residents to the county who will want to explore their new surroundings.