The DfT-funded Living Streets report, ‘Pedestrian Slips, Trips And Falls: An Evaluation Of Their Causes, Impact, Scale And Cost’ was released at the end of February to much interest from a diverse audience including local authorities, community interest groups and politicians.
Following the Government’s 2020 gear change strategy, setting out the ambition that 50% of journeys in England’s towns and cities are walked or cycled by 2030, the report looks in detail at the broader impacts of low-quality pavements.
In the context of the £2billion investment in walking and cycling over the next five years set out by the Government in 2020, the report explores the implications for public health, specific societal impacts and a number of case studies with regards to footways, outlining recommendations for improving the current state of affairs.
As part of the report, Gaist’s DfT- funded footway reports (published in 2019 and 2021) were referenced (p.29) as a comprehensive assessment of the nations footways that the findings of the living streets report were measured against.
In 2019, Gaist undertook a comprehensive health check of the state of footways in England on behalf of the Department for Transport. Using a wide sample from different regions, the 2019 project provided detailed information on the current state as well as an evaluation of the cost to bring and keep all footways in good condition.
The 2021 report presented a re-calculation of the footway base data using our national databank and new additional data collected since the previous report. In total, the re-calculation included 17,829 miles (28,693 km) of new data on footways.
The reports served as an evidence base for future reports (such as the living streets report) and potential investment in highways maintenance across the carriageway, footway and cycleway assets, and for analysis of future costs arising from increased investment in new cycling and walking infrastructure.
The work was commissioned on behalf of the Department for Transport via the Road Asset Management Framework (RAMS) and stands as a testament to the power of national-level datasets in tackling the monitoring and maintenance of our footways to great societal benefit.
The 2021 footway report is hosted by LCRIG and viewable here.
UK Charity Living Streets is part of the strategic support consortium led by Sustrans and you can view their website here.
For further enquiries on Gaist’s national capabilities feel free to contact jake.lawson@gaist.co.uk