Let's get Scotland Walking - The National Walking Strategy

Annex B

NWS Working Group - Initial Recommendations for Action

General

1. A NWS Delivery Forum made up of key partners and delivery bodies should be established to translate the strategic vision into implementation.

2. The new NWS Delivery Forum should oversee the production of a detailed action plan to deliver this strategy in consultation with stakeholders, including local authorities.

3. An assessment of current resources and future coordination of funding and delivery to promote walking should be carried out at the earliest opportunity.

4. An assessment should be undertaken of whether or not current legislative frameworks are working and if future legislation could advance our vision.

5. Ensure there is full implementation of current policies and guidance that support walking at local, regional and national level ( e.g. the Tourism Development Framework 2020, National Planning Framework 3, Road Safety Framework, Low Carbon Behaviour Framework, Place Standards, Scottish Rural Development Programme).

6. Community Planning Partnerships should consider how the ambitions of this strategy are reflected in local policy, plans (including Single Outcome Agreements) and interventions.

7. The new NWS Delivery Forum should work in partnership with the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland ( CAPS) Delivery Forum. It should also draw on the work of the National Access Forum.

8. Good practice should be identified, shared and celebrated through improvement and award systems.

To deliver on creating a culture of walking where everyone walks more often as part of their everyday travel and for recreation and well-being:

9. Community Walking Programmes should be developed and available in every village, town and city in Scotland

10. Smarter Measure initiatives should be running in every local authority area

11. Health and Care Service providers should proactively facilitate walking opportunities within their delivery programmes e.g. GP referral

12. Workplaces should be supported to encourage staff to walk more on a daily basis.

13. Explore opportunities for Community Sports Hubs to support walking and to link to local walking groups in the area

To achieve better quality walking environments with attractive, well designed and managed built and natural spaces for everyone

14. The Town Centre Action Plan should be monitored for delivery opportunities linked to walking.

15. Review progress and consider further action required to ensure that all households in Scotland's urban areas are no more than 5 minutes walk from publically accessible and attractive greenspace or local path network

16 The provision of easy grade paths across the public estates should be increased (urban and rural)

17. High-quality walking (and cycling) networks across local authority area should be created (on a par with roads development, repair and maintenance) and existing routes promoted effectively

18. Examine opportunities to assist land managers to provide better public access through improvements to agriculture and forestry grant aid schemes.

19. More students and staff (nursery, primary, secondary, college and university) should be enabled to walk to, from and during their learning day with more access to outdoor learning spaces

20. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from everyday short journeys through promotion and facilitation of everyday walking for short journeys

To enable easy, convenient and safe independent mobility for everyone:

21. Make Scotland's roads safer for pedestrians and other users.

22. Strengthen training and other resources for practitioners in paths and greenspace design, construction, maintenance and management

23. Strengthen training and support for walkers, with a particular focus on young people and under represented groups ( e.g. map reading, leader training, mountain safety, and Scottish Outdoor Access Code awareness).

24. Increase the perception of security for walking environments ( e.g. via landscape/public realm design and maintenance)

25. Explore developing and implementing a footway condition survey to complement the Scottish Road Condition Maintenance Survey