In addition to encouraging people to choose the more environmentally-friendly public transport options, the UDP also seeks to widen the choice available to residents by promoting the most environmentally-friendly forms of personal movement, namely walking and cycling.  Consideration is also given in this chapter to the needs of those whose mobility is restricted, either by age, disability or by the need to cope with prams, pushchairs or shopping trolleys.

Pedestrian movement takes two forms; going from one place to another and moving in and around a particular centre.  Linear movement is catered for by footpaths, usually adjacent to the City's road network.  The major exception is in Washington New Town where there is a segregated, integrated system of footpaths with well-designed crossing facilities, including underpasses.  A similar system exists at Doxford Park, although it is not quite so comprehensive.  Elsewhere, new development has provided segregated pedestrian ways, but currently these do not generally build up into a comprehensive network.  Footpaths have also been provided through linear reclamation schemes, some covering quite substantial distances (5-10 km) but except in the inner urban area they tend to have more of a recreational role, often extending into the countryside (see also policy L10).

The other main source of pedestrian movement is at centres of activity.  Pre-eminent among these are the City Centre, Town Centres and local shopping centres.  Within Sunderland City Centre a number of streets have already been pedestrianised and other measures to enhance pedestrian priority may be implemented during the Plan period.  Washington Town Centre (The Galleries) has internal malls linked to external over/underpasses, providing a reasonably satisfactory environment for pedestrians.  Mautland Square in Houghton is pedestrianised; nearby Newbottle Street, which is the main shopping street, has restrictions on through vehicular movement, although it is still utilised by significant numbers of buses and service vehicles.  Conditions for pedestrians have now been improved by widening pavements and enhancing the quality of the streetscape, although further works may be required in conjunction with the regeneration of Houghton Town Centre in association with other proposals of this Plan (see chapter 22).

Suburban shopping centres in Sunderland and Houghton/Hetton, however, are generally situated astride main roads, leading to pedestrian/ vehicular conflict.  There is also considerable conflict at the seafront, especially in the vicinity of Seaburn Park.  Other points of conflict occur where educational and other social/community facilities open directly onto main roads, especially the Chester Road University campus, which is divided by the A183.

Cycling is an efficient form of transport which is also healthy and inexpensive.  For the community it is non-polluting and the facilities needed by cyclists generally cost much less than those required by car users.  Nationally, cycling has been growing in popularity in recent years, although this is in the context of a long term decline over the last 40 years.  Locally, the lack of dedicated facilities, the climate and the terrain have been suggested as the causes of comparatively low cycle usage, but conditions in these respects are no worse than in many other towns and cities throughout the UK.

People may suffer disabilities, temporarily or permanently, for a variety of reasons.  These include blindness and deafness as well as physical difficulties of movement.  Additionally, the elderly and people with young children may experience many problems similar to those of the disabled.

Surveys of disability undertaken by OPCS (published 1988) reveal that nationally some 6.2m people suffer some form of disability, 70% of whom are over the age of 60.  Some 3% of children under 16 also have disabilities, indicating that it is a matter of concern across the spectrum of all age groups.  Generally locomotive disabilities are the most prevalent form of disability amongst adults.  Some 69% of adults with such a disability live at home, of these, 10% had wheelchairs.  If this picture is reflected locally it is estimated that there are nearly 26,000 adults (ie 8.8% of the population) aged between 16 and 74 in the City who suffer some form of disability.  Of these 16,300 had difficulties with mobility, 9,000 with hearing and a further 4,700 with sight; more than 50% being aged between 60 and 74.

Nationally, the most commonly used form of transport amongst adults with disabilities is the private car (used by 76%), stressing the importance of making dedicated provision.  Half of those travelling by car are, however, driven by someone outside of their household, indicating the degree of dependence on other people for mobility.  Around one third of disabled adults living at home go out several times a week and over two thirds of less disabled people use buses whereas less than one seventh of more disabled do so.  At the present time there are a total of 115 dedicated parking spaces for the disabled at Sunderland City Centre with further provision at Washington and Houghton Town Centres.  There is constant pressure to increase the spaces available for parking by orange badge holders, especially at popular centres of activity.

In minimising the environmental effects of transport it is essential that the Plan includes measures designed to encourage the use of non-polluting modes, which include walking.  Almost everyone is a pedestrian at sometime during their normal daily routine and for journeys of less than 1.6 km, walking is frequently the most suitable mode (see para. 13.4).  People without access to a car, including children and people on low incomes, are heavily dependent on walking for moving around as well as for recreation.  The Plan therefore includes measures that improve the pedestrian environment, whilst recognising that personal safety is an important issue for people on foot.  In this regard, routes shall be on logical desire lines to ensure maximum usage, be well lit and readily capable of surveillance; planting or other features should not be positioned in a manner which may provide opportunities for criminal or threatening behaviour.  They should be surfaced with a finish appropriate to the level and type of use (see also T11), and well signposted.

Subject to other requirements, a high level of pedestrian priority is to be sought where people congregate (eg at shopping centres, schools, the seafront, etc).  Of particular importance is Sunderland City Centre where opportunities to further enhance pedestrian priority will arise as a result of completion of the Inner Ring and Eastern Relief Roads, which allows all extraneous traffic to be removed.  Other major centres are also afforded high priority.  Only proposals which enhance the vitality/viability of the centre will be promoted.

The potential of disused railway alignments for use as footpaths and strategic recreation routes is identified and protected under policies L10 and T16.  Improvements to shopping centres are promoted under their appropriate Part II proposals for individual areas of the City.

Finance may be available from the Single Regeneration Budget, TPP Package monies and the Council's Capital Programme for pedestrianisation schemes.

Cycling is a benign, healthy and inexpensive mode of transport (see para. 15.5).  In recognition of these facts, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in its 1994 report, ‘Transport and the Environment’, advocated that 10% of urban journeys should be by bicycle by 2005, compared with 2.5% at present.  However, cycle use in the City is currently relatively low, in part due to a lack of specific facilities and somewhat hazardous road conditions, hence the need to provide attractive conditions for cyclists to maximise cycle use.  The intention of the policy is to provide safe cycling facilities for all potential users.

The first two measures proposed seek the creation of an integrated system of safe and attractive cycle-routes, following logical desire lines, largely utilising existing and proposed highways.  This will be achieved by various means, including traffic management measures (such as dedicated cycleways ) or signposting of side roads as appropriate.  It may also be feasible to allow cyclists to use bus gates designed for the purpose, or other bus facilities (eg bus lanes where there is sufficient width to allow a bus to overtake a cycle safely).  In addition, new highway schemes and traffic calming measures will provide an opportunity to incorporate appropriate facilities.  The third measure, encouraging the use of recreational routes and the development of long-distance cycleroutes, will provide links from the urban areas to the countryside including multi-user routes (see policies L10, T10).  There remain a number of former railway lines in the City which could have potential for use as cycleways (temporary and long term); the Council has agreed to protect such linear routes for transportation needs including the needs of cyclists.  The overall effect will be to create a network of strategic and local routes for cyclists in both the urban and rural areas.  Construction of secure, safe and accessible cycle parking facilities at focal points of business and recreational activity, as proposed in (iv), will further assist in encouraging use of the bicycle.

Cycles are frequently the most suitable mode for journeys below 5 km and in recent years have become more popular for recreational purposes (e.g. BMX and Mountain Bikes).  Nevertheless, cyclists are particularly vulnerable to road accidents (7% of all accidents in Sunderland in 1993); proposals are therefore intended to provide attractive and safe routes.  Investment in safety measures will help to rebuild confidence amongst cyclists.  The measures proposed in the area chapters, which will need to be implemented incrementally in relation to the development of demand, could ultimately enable provision of 72 km of cycleway in the City; other opportunities to enhance provision for cyclists will be implemented as they arise.  It should be noted that cyclists will also be able to use appropriate proposed multi-user routes (see policy T10).

Specific proposals derived from this policy will be implemented using funds from various sources, including the Council's Capital Programme (which makes provision for expenditure of £210,000 on provision for cyclists up until 2000), the TPP and the Single Regeneration Budget.  The Council will also ensure that appropriate facilities are incorporated in major development schemes as part of the development control process.

The importance of paths is reinforced by the fact that walking has become an increasingly popular activity, reflecting environmental awareness as well as a recognition of the value of exercise in the improvement of personal health.  Many countryside initiatives, such as the Great North Forest, perform an environmental education role and the development of paths enables people to take advantage of such initiatives.  However recreational use of the countryside can lead to increased problems of trespass on adjoining agricultural land.  In recognition of this, a field penalty assessment of certain priority areas was undertaken by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service on behalf of the City Council in 1991.  The results of this have been taken into account in the formulation of proposals which identify over 60 km of paths.

Consideration will be given to the adaptation of some routes to provide a network of multi-user routes, both urban and rural, to serve the City.  A multi-user route is generally an off-road route of greater width and more robust surface treatment providing attractive and safe movement for both recreational and other users.  They will provide facilities, wherever possible, for the following potential users:-

• pedestrians;
• the disabled;
• cyclists;
• horseriders.

In particular, efforts will be made to incorporate facilities helpful to those with disabilities (eg surface treatments, gradients, gate design, etc.) although in some cases this may not be feasible if, for example, topography precludes it.  It is estimated that around over 120 km of multi-user routes are proposed in the Plan (see Fig. 15.1).  Occasionally links may have to be made along short sections of all-purpose roads.  Most routes will inter-connect with other strategic paths, or cycle routes defined under Policy T9.  A number of routes are being developed under the Heritage Trail Initiative.  Details of these are included in the area proposals and an indication of routes shown on the Proposals Map.  Where existing and proposed paths and multi-user routes are in proximity to sites of nature conservation interest, appropriate safeguards will be incorporated to ensure the protection of that resource.  In implementing proposals, landscaping will be of a nature appropriate to the encouragement of wildlife habitats.

The Council will also review and update the register of paths in accordance with the requirements of the Countryside Act 1990.  Expenditure of £200,000 on development of Heritage Trails over 5 years has been approved as part of the Single Regeneration Budget submission.  In addition, EC funding and English Partnerships monies will be sought where derelict land is involved.

The quality of a person's life is affected by how free they are to move about as they please; many people with disabilities are precluded from playing a full and independent role in society by the inaccessibility of amenities, including transport facilities.  Section 76 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 acknowledges this and requires developers of specified types of buildings to provide suitable means of access and parking for people with disabilities.

People with mobility problems or sensory impairments form a significant minority of the local population (8.8%) (see paras. 15.7-15.9).  It is likely that most people will experience some form of temporary or permanent handicap that impairs their mobility at some time in their lives.  It is also true that the prevalence of personal mobility problems increases with age; current demographic trends will mean therefore that in future a greater proportion of the population will encounter such problems.

People with disabilities also have specific requirements in terms of pedestrian movement.  Poorly maintained pavements can be dangerous to all users, more especially to those with disabilities.  Street furniture that clutters the footway rather than being consistently positioned can cause a hazard, whilst crossing roads can be made easier for some groups by the installation of tactile surfaces to locate crossing points.  Thus the adoption of appropriate features in the detailed design of highways, pedestrianisation schemes and pedestrian routes is important; these should be in accordance with the Institute of Highways and Transportation Guidelines ‘Reducing Mobility Handicaps’.  With regard to public transport access, a 1988 survey by OPCS showed that only 16% of the most severely disabled groups used buses.  Consequently there is a need to give consideration to how the specific needs of the disabled can be met, in this connection the provision of appropriate facilities to provide access to public transport is important.