In attempting to support and increase cycling and walking, policy makers need to know which facilities are merely tolerated by their users and which are attractive and encourage use. This question is especially important for facilities shared between cyclists and walkers. This report presents a study by the CTC to understand the experiences of people who had encountered shared use, and to learn where, how, and whether it might be applied in the interest of all users. An Advisory Group helped to guide its work. A literature review suggested that shared use between cyclists and walkers on linear paths could be made tolerable for them when best practice in design was used to minimise conflict; more vulnerable users have lower tolerance. To provide empirical information about the attitudes of users, their opinions were surveyed by applying a structured questionnaire to samples of them at five shared-use sites in four different English cities. The surveys were followed by group discussions in each site and four more with disabled users. Users generally said that they disliked shared cycle and pedestrian routes, but tolerated them because of improved safety, modal shift benefits, and lack of better alternatives in their area. Many practical ways were found for designing better shared-user routes and giving better guidance which would improve users' experiences of them.
Abstract