Talk About Panel Survey – Getting out and about along York’s public rights of way. Survey No. 19, April 2004 Exit Click here for contents

Report Contents Background & methodology Taking walks Panellists who don’t walk along any PROW routes Popular walking routes Reasons for using routes Travelling to reach routes Travelling time to reach routes Travelling time from start to end of routes Types of routes walkers mostly use Using on and off road routes Level of agreement with crossing / going along roads Agreement with statements about routes in York Reasons why non-walkers don’t use the routes Agreement with the statements about the condition / layout of routes Suitability of routes for older people and those with disabilities Difficulties preventing older people and those with disabilities using routes Things that would encourage greater use of routes Social Group definition Virtual Team Area definition Click on green buttons to view required sections PreviousNext Exit

Talk About Panel Survey – Getting out and about section Background & Methodology (1) PreviousNext Contents Exit The Talk About panel comprises of local people who receive postal questionnaires at regular intervals throughout the year. They are asked for their views on a variety of local issues facing the council and York as a whole. The panel is broadly representative of York in terms of age, gender and area and include residents from different social, economic and cultural groups. This report includes analysis by Virtual Team Areas. These teams relate to six geographical areas where key individuals and groups, who have a good understanding of the area, are working together to make improvements. Each Team comprises:  Ward Committees  Neighbourhood Co-ordinators  Ward based service providers and commissioners (Police Ward Managers, Safer York Partnership Ward Managers, Street Environment Officers, Estate Managers, Street Scene Zone Coordinators, Community Development Workers, Residents Associations and Parish Council representatives)  Other advisors (community groups, residents etc). The most recent survey of panellists went out between March and April It asked local people for their views on getting out and about, York Pride and environmental health and trading standards issues.

Talk About Panel Survey – Getting out and about section Background & Methodology (2) PreviousNext Contents Exit A total of 1567 completed questionnaires were returned, giving a very good response rate of 71%. Of a sample of this size, results are accurate to ± 2.5%. The data has been weighted to reflect the demographic profile of the overall panel and therefore of York. All figures are reported as percentages. When responses do not total 100% this may be due to multi responses or computer rounding. Talk About survey response rates

Taking walks along York’s public rights of way All respondents PreviousNext Contents Exit  York’s public rights of way include off- road routes, such as footpaths, riverside towpaths, bridleways, fields, nature reserves and woodlands that have public access, farm tracks and open land like strays, commons and ings.  Overall, two fifths of panellists (39%) frequently use these types of routes, saying they walk along them at at least once a week or more.  An equal proportion of panellists (39%) are more infrequent users of these routes, walking along them between once and fortnight and less often than once a month.  Interestingly, 24% of those living in Area E, which covers Bishopthorpe, Wheldrake, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington wards, use these routes on a daily basis.

Panellists who don’t walk along York’s public rights of way routes PreviousNext Contents Exit Panellists that never walk along PROW routes Total22% Age Under 34 year olds19% year olds17% Over 55 year olds31% Health / well-being Disability – yes39% Disability - no19% Time lived in York Up to 5 years15% 5-20 years16% years20% More than 40 years36% Employment status Employed (full / part time)17% Retired32%  22% of panellists never walk along these routes. A distinct picture emerges of non users, with the following groups being significantly more likely not to use them. 31% of respondents over 55 years of age never walk along these routes, and neither do 39% of respondents with a disability, 36% of residents who’ve lived in York more than 40 years and 32% of retired respondents.

Popular walking routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  Off-road footpaths (67%) and riverside towpaths (56%) are popular walking routes among panellists. A further 42% also walk through open land in their free time.  Around a quarter of respondents walk through fields (24%), nature reserves and woodlands (24%) and along cycle paths (22%).  Whilst the majority of walkers use a variety of paths, the single most popular paths are footpaths (36%).  The most popular routes among those living in Area E, which covers Bishopthorpe, Wheldrake, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington wards, are riverside towpaths (75%).

Reasons for using routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  In the main, panellists take walks along various routes for relaxation and enjoyment of the countryside (59%). Another motivational factor for walking is personal fitness (38%).  A quarter of respondents walk along York’s public rights of way to reach a specific destinations (26%), such as friends’ houses and local pubs.  Using routes for relaxation is particularly true for Area A residents (67%), which covers Derwent, Heworth Without, Osbaldwick, Hull Road and Strensall wards.  Residents from the DE social groups are more likely to use the routes to visit specific places (44%) than for general relaxation (36%) ore personal fitness (29%).

Travelling to reach routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  Half of walkers tend to walk to reach the start of the routes where they most regularly walk (52%). A further 17% live in convenient locations with the start of the route being just outside their home.  18% travel by car, van or motorbike to reach the start of the routes and five per cent use their bike.  Residents living in Area C (62%) and Area E (61%) are particularly more likely to walk to reach the start of the routes than to use other modes of transport. And residents living in Area A (23%) are more likely to have a route which starts just outside their house.

Travelling time to reach routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  Half of walkers reach the start of the routes within seven minutes (52%) of their home. A further 30% reach the start of the routes within eight to fifteen minutes.  One in ten respondents travel for sixteen minutes or more.  Among vehicle users, 37% spend between eight and fifteen minutes travelling to the route, 20% spend less than seven minutes and 19% spend between sixteen and thirty minutes.  Over half of those (56%) who walk to reach the start of the route reach it within seven minutes, although 33% have to walk a bit further, taking between eight and fifteen minutes.

Travelling time from start to end of routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  55% of walkers spend an average of sixteen to sixty minutes walking along routes in York. A further 17% spend at least an hour or more.  16% of walkers spend a relatively small amount of time on their walks, averaging up to fifteen minutes per walk.  Among panellists who walk everyday, 26% walk for thirty one to sixty minutes, 25% walk for sixteen to thirty minutes and 20% for up to fifteen minutes.

Types of routes walkers mostly useWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  The two main types of routes, circular routes and ones where you walk there and back the same way are equally popular among walkers (38%).  A further 24% use both types of routes on a regular basis.  Almost half of panellists (48%) who use routes where they walk there and back the same way, stick to completely off-road routes.

Using on- and off-road routesWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit  As well as walking along different types of routes, walkers also venture along on- and off- road routes. Whilst two fifths of respondents usually use completely off-road routes, a majority of three fifths either cross or walk along roads.  24% of respondents have to cross or go along busy roads as part of the routes they use, although slightly more (35%) have to cross quieter roads on route.  Panellists aged walk slightly more (49%) along routes that are completely off-road than respondents overall (41%).

Level of agreement with crossing / going along roadsWalkers PreviousNext Contents Exit The breaks in the routes are quite dangerous The breaks in the routes occasionally discourage me from using them The breaks in the routes make the walks more interesting  In order to gauge opinion of crossing roads, panellists were asked a series of statements relating to safety and enjoyment of on-road sections of routes.  In terms of the dangers posed by the breaks in roads, opinion was divided. While 28% agree that breaks are quite dangerous, 45% disagree. There is however, some negative impact in terms of usage as a sizeable minority of walkers (19%) are occasionally discouraged from using routes because of the breaks along them.  Again, opinion is divided in terms of the interest that on-road sections generate as 23% agree that breaks make walks more interesting, whereas 37% disagree.

Agreement with the statements about routes in York All respondents PreviousNext Contents Exit  Overall, 68% of panellists feel there are plenty of routes in York. 10% disagree and the remainder (22%) have no opinion either way. Looking specifically at non walkers, they are significantly less likely to agree that there are plenty of routes (59%).  Safety is an important aspect when examining use of routes. While half of panellists (50%) feel safe walking along routes, a quarter of respondents feel unsafe. Again, non walkers are particularly more likely to hold a negative view with 50% saying they would feel unsafe using these routes.  While around one in ten are not interested in walking (12%) or are unable to do so due to health reasons (9%), 60% of panellists would welcome more information about the routes in York. Currently 68% of non walkers feel there is not enough information.  How information is provided is an an important consideration for future promotion as while all households in Rural West York have recently received a leaflet about walks in their area, 71% of these residents consider there not to be enough information.

Reasons why non-walkers don’t use the routes PreviousNext Contents Exit Panellists that never walk along PROW routes Total22% Views on routes / reasons for non-use There should be separate tracks for different activities 73% Not enough information about routes 68% Routes are in a poor state52% Worried about personal safety50% Routes are believed to be dangerous due to breaks in them 40% Not interested36% Routes are badly signposted31% Due to health reasons27% Routes don’t go the places I want23% There are not enough routes3%  As discussed earlier, 22% of panellists never walk along York's routes.  A contributory factor to non-use is that 68% of non-walkers feel there’s not enough information about the routes. Half of non-walkers also perceive the routes to be in a poor state (52%) or would be apprehensive about using them because of concerns about personal safety (50%).  A mixed message is uncovered when looking at future use, as although 36% are not interested in taking up walking, 28% would be interested. Perhaps promotion about the routes, with a focus on safety may help to encourage greater uptake.  Currently, 27% of non-walkers are unable to take up walking due to ill- health.

Agreement with the statements about the condition / layout of routes All respondents PreviousNext Contents Exit  In terms of layout and position, one in five panellists say the routes don’t go to the places they want and 57% think there should be separate tracks for things like walking, cycling and horse riding.  Turning to examine the condition of the routes, 45% of panellists complain about the poor state of the routes and 23% about the signposting.  Reflecting the earlier findings where 28% of walkers using on-road routes considered them to be dangerous, overall 23% of ‘all’ panellists consider this to be the case.  Fairly substantial proportions of panellists (from 18% to 45%) gave no opinion either way when asked these questions, perhaps reflecting a lack of first hand knowledge about the routes. As one would expect, this is particularly heightened among non walkers.

Suitability of routes for older people and those with disabilities All respondents PreviousNext Contents Exit  In the main, panellists believe that some routes are suitable for older people and those with disabilities, whereas others are not. Overall, 17% of respondents think all or most routes are suitable.  Respondents who consider them to unsuitable (18%) are more likely to have a disability (29%). Furthermore non-walkers are significantly more likely to think routes are unsuitable for older and disabled people(30%), but it is unclear whether this is based on prior knowledge of the routes or general perception.

Difficulties preventing older people and those with disabilities using the routes Panellist who think some or all paths are restrictive PreviousNext Contents Exit  Among those who consider some or all of the routes unsuitable for older people or those with disabilities, 71% cite poor surface conditions as the primary factor. Other concerns include unsuitable terrain (61%), lack of accessible toilets (55%), not knowing where to get route information from (38%) and actual difficulties with reaching the routes because of lack of car parking or public transport facilities (33%). A further 21% also cite lack of disabled parking spaces as a deterrent to using routes.

Things that would encourage greater use of routes Panellist who think some or all paths are restrictive PreviousNext Contents Exit  When asked what would encourage them to use the routes more, half the panellists made no further suggestions. Of the suggestions that were made, 13% would welcome more information and maps of the routes and nine per cent would like to see an improvement in the cleanliness of the routes.

Social Group Definition Social GroupOccupation of chief wage earner A Upper middle classHigher managerial, administrative or professional B Middle classIntermediate managerial, administrative or professional C1 Lower middle classIntermediate or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional C2 Skilled working classSkilled manual workers D Working classSemi and unskilled manual workers E Those at the lowest level of subsistenceState pensioners, etc. with no other earnings PreviousNext Contents

Virtual Team Area Definition Virtual Team AreaWards included ADerwent Heworth Without Osbaldwick Hull Road Strensall BDringhouses & Woodthorpe Micklegate Rural West York CClifton Guildhall Skelton, Rawcliffe & Clifton Without DHaxby & Wigginton Heworth Huntington & New Earswick EBishopthorpe Wheldrake Fishergate Fulford Heslington FAcomb Holgate Westfield PreviousNext Contents