Let's get Scotland Walking - The National Walking Strategy

3. Our Aims

We aspire to achieve levels of walking on a par with the best performing countries such as the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In the latter, well over 30% of journeys are walked. We want people to walk more on a daily basis - from their early years across their life course into active ageing. This strategy covers different types of walking, e.g. walking for health including managing long-term conditions, walking to work and school and walking for recreation and sport. It seeks to identify the barriers to walking which need to be addressed and makes clear the benefits that walking provides. To realise our vision of a Scotland where places are well designed for walking, an increased number of people enjoy the outdoors and more people walk as part of their everyday journeys, we have three strategic aims:

• Create a culture of walking: A walking culture where Scotland's communities are empowered to develop community-based approaches to walking development and the value of social capital ( e.g. through volunteering) can be harnessed;
• Better walking environments throughout Scotland: By developing and managing attractive, well designed places and signed routes close to where people live and work, we will encourage people to use them on a regular basis for health, recreation, sport and active travel. Our modern access rights and range of paths, parks and reserves assets also need to be effectively promoted if more people are to be encouraged to use them on visits to enjoy the outdoors.
• Ensure easy, convenient independent mobility for all: By promoting conditions that make it easier and more attractive for people of all ages and abilities to walk, rather than a situation where people do not have the opportunity to walk or walk only if there is no alternative.