Natural England - Greenways and Quiet Lanes
Greenways and Quiet Lanes
The Greenways and Quiet Lanes programmes were set up in 1998 when pilots were established to determine best practice in developing Greenways.
The pilots were located in Swindon, Mersey Forest, Furness Peninsular, Watling Chase, South East Dorset, and Lincoln. Each ran for approximately three years between 1998 and 2002.
What is a Greenway?
A Greenway is a network of largely off-road routes connecting people to facilities and open spaces in and around towns, cities and the countryside. They are for 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.
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 (10,500 miles) of Greenways have been created or planned in England.
The Greenways 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.
What is a Quiet Lane?
Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads that are appropriate for use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and motorised users. These roads should have low levels of traffic travelling at low speeds.