Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Walking and Tourism
In 1979, the Policy Studies Institute published a book,
Walking
is
Transport
,
in which the authors concluded that there was scant research on the subject.
Hence, 'it is not surprising that walking has been poorly represented in trans-
port policy, and that the consequences for those in society whose travel needs
are frequently met on foot are not brought to light' (Hillman and Whalley,
1979, p1). Thirty years on, there still remains a dearth of information on
walking, either as a form of transport or as a tourism pursuit. Yet, in terms
of volume and frequency, walking is by far the most important form of trans-
port in the world, and that also applies to travel at the destination. It also has
the lowest environmental footprint. In reality, it is the form of travel that is
consistently undervalued by transport and tourism planners in terms of plan-
ning, funding and provision. This is certainly the case when compared to
providing for the car.
Walking is also the gel that makes so many of the faster modes of travel
accessible. This is especially the case in the context of the integration of buses,
ferries, trams and trains, but also in relation to accessing attractions and des-
tinations. Walking is defined as a trip, made on foot, that involves physical
activity, usually to access places for a wide variety of reasons. These include
walking trips to work, education, for personal reasons, shopping or simply
just to enjoy recreation. The walking trip can be made alone or with others,
and the pace is relatively slow at 3-5km per hour. This makes it the ultimate
form of travel for the slow traveller, as it enables close contact with landscapes
and streetscapes. It allows proximate contact with people going about their
daily business and enables absorption of the atmosphere that pervades each
locality.
The history of early human development refers to nomadic survival; it
involved walking long distances periodically, and constant sourcing of food for
daily subsistence. Humans also became good long-distance runners so as to
be able to hunt animals or to flee from danger (Amato, 2004). In subsequent
