The National Walking and Cycling Network in Scotland (NWCN) Baseline Monitoring Report 2016 August 2017 Circulation External – Public circulation status: Current status Final draft for publication Date issued: 31st August 2017 Quality David Corner – Quality and Research Manager assurance: Suzanne Motherwell – Evaluation Manager Stephen Frost – Head of Research and Monitoring Unit Authors: Sam Dennis and Anjali Badloe under the direction of Suzanne Motherwell Front cover image credit: Lucy Clarke / Sustrans © 2017, Sustrans, All rights reserved The National Walking and Cycling Network in Scotland (NWCN) | 2 Contents Contents ....................................................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 6 Background ........................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 6 Headline findings ................................................................................................... 7 Outcome 1: Encourage more people to enjoy Scotland ......................................... 7 Outcome 2: Strengthen local economies ............................................................... 8 Outcome 3: Support physical activity and sustainable travel choices ..................... 8 Headline figures: .................................................................................................... 9 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Purpose of the report .................................................................................... 10 1.2 Report structure ............................................................................................ 11 2 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 12 2.1 Site specific data collection ........................................................................... 12 Route user surveys and manual counts ............................................................... 12 Automatic cycle and pedestrian counters ............................................................. 12 2.2 General (online) data collection .................................................................... 12 NWCN public survey ............................................................................................ 12 NWCN business survey ....................................................................................... 13 2.3 Analytical approaches ................................................................................... 13 3 Outcome 1 - Encourage more people to enjoy Scotland ...................................... 14 3.1 Increased walking and cycling usage of the NWCN ...................................... 14 Network annual usage estimate ........................................................................... 14 Usage characteristics of the NWCN ..................................................................... 15 Use and perceptions of the NCWN from the public survey ................................... 18 3.2 Increased walking and cycling usage on the NWCN among under-represented groups ..................................................................................................................... 22 Demographics of NWCN users ............................................................................ 22 Perceptions of and barriers to using the NWCN among the public ....................... 26 3.3 Increased purposeful walking and cycling trips on the NWCN ...................... 29 Purposeful trips on the NWCN ............................................................................. 29 3.4 Increased tourism visitor usage of the NWCN ............................................... 30 Tourism usage of the NWCN ............................................................................... 30 3.5 Feedback from NWCN users that expresses positive sentiments ................. 31 Perceptions of the NWCN among route users ..................................................... 31 Motivations for using the NWCN among the public .............................................. 32 The National Walking and Cycling Network in Scotland (NWCN) | 3 4 Outcome 2 - Strengthen local economies ............................................................ 35 4.1 Positive feedback from local businesses on/near the NWCN ........................ 35 Perceived benefits of the NWCN among the business community ....................... 35 4.2 Reports of increased business revenue from local businesses on/near the NWCN ..................................................................................................................... 38 Revenue impact of the NWCN on local businesses ............................................. 38 4.3 Evidence of tourism related contributions to the economy from usage of the NWCN ..................................................................................................................... 40 Economic benefits of leisure pedestrian and cyclist usage on the NWCN ............ 40 5 Outcome 3 - Support physical activity and sustainable travel choices .................. 41 5.1 Reported increases in physical activity and attainment of recommended weekly physical activity levels ................................................................................. 41 Physical activity on the NWCN ............................................................................. 41 Physical activity on the NWCN among the general public .................................... 44 5.2 Reported increases in active travel (evidence of new and/or increased walking and cycling activity on the NWCN) .......................................................................... 46 Route user surveys / automatic counter data and network usage estimate .......... 46 5.3 Reduction in perception of level of risk as a barrier to active travel ............... 47 Perceptions of safety among users of the NWCN ................................................ 47 Perceptions of safety on the NWCN among the general public ............................ 47 6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 49 6.1 Encourage more people to enjoy Scotland ................................................... 49 6.2 Strengthen local economies .......................................................................... 50 6.3 Support physical activity and sustainable travel choices ............................... 50 6.4 Headline figures ............................................................................................ 51 7 Appendix.............................................................................................................. 52 7.1 Methodology ................................................................................................. 53 Monitoring tools ................................................................................................... 53 A) Site-specific data collection ....................................................................... 53 Route user surveys and manual counts ............................................................... 53 B) General (online) data collection ................................................................. 55 NWCN public survey ............................................................................................ 55 NWCN business survey ....................................................................................... 56 Analytical approaches .......................................................................................... 57 Baseline Annual Usage Estimates from automatic counters and manual counts.. 57 Estimating walking and cycling usage on the NWCN ........................................... 57 i. Spatial mapping of the routes of interest and available usage monitoring points ................................................................................................................... 59 ii. Categorisation of sections of route on the network according to usage- relevant variables ................................................................................................. 59 iii. Population Gravity ........................................................................................ 60 The National Walking and Cycling Network in Scotland (NWCN) | 4 iv. Usage attractor indicator ........................................................................... 60 v. Extrapolation of usage data across route sections with similar usage-relevant variables .............................................................................................................. 61 vi. Development of a network usage estimate ................................................ 61 Estimating the economic impact of the NWCN ..................................................... 62 Limitations and challenges ................................................................................... 62 7.2 Route User Intercept Survey Overview ........................................................