Walking action planning aims to increase the number of walking trips, both as walk only trips and supporting other modes such as public transport, while improving the safety and experience for people walking. They can be developed at a district, city centre, activity centre or neighbourhood scale and can be a stand-alone strategy or action plan, or combined within a broader transport strategy.
A good walking strategy or action plan will work towards creating an environment where walking is an easy transport choice for all people with different abilities and states, connecting all travel modes in a multi-modal transport system and will contribute to a Council’s transport, health, planning and climate change objectives. It coordinates and prioritises work to support walking and should improve integration with other modes of transport, increase the safety of walking and raise the profile of walking.
Alternatively, walking actions can be included within other strategies and plans and this can be an effective way of integrating walking with other modes as outlined in the programmes that can support walking.
PNG: Processes that help planning for walking
In many situations however, there is a need to take a more intentional approach by focussing on walking both by itself and supporting other modes (eg public transport). This will ensure the objectives and actions are focussed on walking, moving away from a business as usual approach which has tended to neglect the opportunities that walking provides within our urban environments.
Historically, many territorial authorities have combined walking and cycling planning into a single strategy. Combined strategies can be useful in some cases, such as for off-road connections through parks and reserves, such as:
Timaru Off-road Walking and Biking Strategy(external link)
However, cycling and walking are complex modes and combining their strategies can lead to adverse consequences[1]. For example, it may be perceived that they can be planned for in similar ways, with similar outcomes, which is not necessarily the case. Separating planning for walking and cycling helps to emphasise their individual importance as alternatives to car travel, and as supporting modes for public transport.
Examples of walking action plans include:
An example of walking actions included within a broader transport strategy:
The development of a walking action plan follows a structured process with the following steps. The development of a walking action plan should align and integrate with other broader planning processes, for example an overarching transport strategy.
Table: Development of a walking action plan
| Step | Process | Plan |
| 1 |
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| 2 | Research and collate information |
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| 3 | Identify issues and plan actions |
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| 4 | Implementation |
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[1] Audrey, Suzanne. (2020). We need to admit that cycling and walking are completely different activities(external link) www.bristol247.com
