Breadcrumbs
Greenways and Quiet Lanes
A Greenway is a network of largely off-highway routes connecting people to facilities and open spaces in and around towns, cities and the countryside. They are for shared use by people of all abilities on foot, bike or horseback, for commuting, play or leisure. Greenways link to other networks for non-motorised users - such as the National Cycle Network, towpaths beside inland waterways, National Trails and other rights of way.
Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads which are appropriate for shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and motorised users. These roads should already have low levels of traffic travelling at low speeds.
People are working locally to provide safe, attractive, car-free routes for healthy commuting, recreation and sport. Research indicates that up to 17,000 km of Greenways have been created or planned in England alone.
Greenways handbook
The guidance in this handbook aims to help practitioners to plan and create traffic-free, off-road routes to meet the needs of walkers, cyclists and/or horse riders. It is based upon the experience gained from the Greenways demonstration projects. It is further informed by the work of organisations such as Sustrans who have helped increase an understanding of how to plan and design routes that work.
Local authority officers with a remit for transport, health, recreation, rights of ways or tourism, are encouraged to use the approach to greenway design set out in this guidance.
The guidance has been organised in 4 sections which are available to download below:
- Section 1 - The Relevance of Greenways (107kb pdf)
- Section 2 - Planning and Developing Greenways (276kb pdf)
- Section 3 - Creating and Improving Greenways (294kb pdf)
- Section 4 - Bibliography (49kb pdf)
Other parts of the Greenways site:
