Walking and wheeling
Almost all journeys begin with some amount of walking or wheeling, even if only to or from the vehicle, station or stop.
Wheeling means any form of travel that uses some form of wheeled mobility aid – such a wheelchairs, pushchairs, or scooters. For some people, wheeling might be their only way of travelling independently. For others, wheeling may be an easier option than walking even if they are able – for example small children using scooters enabling them to travel at the same pace as the rest of their family who are walking, or covering the same distance without getting as tired. Young people using roller-skates, skateboards and so on may do so as it enables them to travel more often expending less effort, thus making these options more attractive than walking and cheaper and more accessible than paying for transport or relying on family or friends for lifts.
The National Government wants 55% of all journeys in towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2035 [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-third-cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy/active-travel-active-england-the-third-cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy-cwis3].
To help with this, we will be publishing our LCWIP [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/lcwip], which is a document setting out our approach to future investment in infrastructure for walking, wheeling and cycling.
What you can do
Walking or wheeling can be a good way to gently build up fitness, and get small daily errands done without worrying about fuel costs or transport fares. If walking for pleasure is more your, thing, we have lots of resources to inspire you.
- Coventry on the Move in Parks [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/health-wellbeing/coventry-move/4] – many of our parks have “measured miles” or other fixed-distance walking routes, that allow you to easily track how far you are progressing. Why not take the opportunity to discover your local park?
- Go Walks [https://theoutdoorguide.co.uk/walking-routes/community-walks/coventry-family-hub-walks/] – we have put together self-guided walks from each of our Family Hubs. These interesting routes help you get to know your local area better.
- We also have self-guided walks [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3225/walk_more_feel_good_maps] in many of the city’s local areas.
- To explore the countryside around Coventry, check out our Rights of Way network [https://maps.coventry.gov.uk/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=planning]. When the map loads up, select the Transport option to see the Rights of Way layers.
- If walking with others is more your thing, check out Coventry Outdoors’ page [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coventryoutdoors/go-walks] listing local groups who put on scheduled organised walks.
What we can do
Our Transport Strategy [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/transportstrategy] places a great emphasis on supporting active travel as a tool to improve the health, wellbeing and economic prospects of Coventry’s citizens, as well as reducing congestion and reducing the carbon footprint of the transport network. This will primarily be communicated through our LCWIP [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/lcwip], which will be our plan guiding future investment in active travel – walking wheeling and cycling.
We already have a Rights of Way Improvement Plan [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/rights-way/public-rights-way] which sets out how public rights of way will be looked after and improved. Our Highway Infrastructure Asset Plan Management Plan (HIAMP) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/roads-highways-pavements/highways-infrastructure-asset-management] does the same for how our urban routes – including pavements, footways and urban footpaths – are maintained.
To report problems with the walking network like potholes, lighting defects, vandalism or rubbish, please visit our Streetscene [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/streetscene] page in the first instance.
Requests for new crossings or other safety measures are considered as part of our Local Safety Schemes [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/roads-highways-pavements/road-junctions] programme. To help children travel to school safety, we also have a handful of School Crossing Patrols [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/roads-highways-pavements/school-crossing-patrols] or School Street [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolstreets] schemes.
Requests for speeding enforcement or reports of criminality on the roads should be directed to the Police [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/roads-highways-pavements/speeding].