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Local government: make walking safe
Local roads should be planned around the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. The worst barriers to walking and cycling should be identified and tackled first - for example, all children should be able to walk safely to school. Local government actions should include the following.
Publicize the laws that protect pedestrians
Education campaigns are needed, especially concerning:- Pavement parking - the 2019 Select Committee report [1] confirmed that pavement parking is illegal (except where specifically permitted) since it is illegal to drive on to a footway - and advocated "an awareness campaign around the illegality of driving on the pavement" .
- The priority to pedestrians who are crossing at T junctions.
20mph speed limits
20mph speed limits should be implemented wherever there are significant numbers of walking or cycling journeys - see http://www.20splenty.org/.Others
- more pedestrian crossings
- timings at pedestrian crossings should be favourable to pedestrians
- safer junctions for pedestrians including build-outs rather than fast large-radius turns
- narrow country lanes that are impassable for pedestrians because of high hedges, narrow verges and the speed of traffic can be made safe by constructing new paths and cycle tracks on the field side of the hedge (and adding a new hedge or fence beyond that)
References
[1] House of CommonsTransport Committee Pavement parking (2019) https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmtrans/1982/1982.pdfLast updated: 23 Oct 2019