Weymouth Town Council accepts Ramblers' Charter for Walking Neighbourhoods
Weymouth has become the second town in England to adopt a Charter for Walking Neighbourhoods – ‘making it safer for people on foot’. The Charter has been produced by The Ramblers and there are hopes it will help attract more out-of-season visitors to the town.
A walking neighbourhood is a safe and welcoming place to be a pedestrian, where residents have easy access to streets with plantings and a variety of green spaces - from community gardens and allotments, to pocket parks and city farms.
The Charter was backed at a Weymouth Town Council meeting.
Urging the council to back it, member of South Dorset Ramblers Dr Sarah Moyle said: “Walking is a 12 month of the year activity, it’s good for your health and on our walks. So, walking in Weymouth is actually a very good cause to take forward to get a longer holiday season. If Weymouth was to adopt it you would be one of the early towns to adopt it and you would actually get quite a lot of advertising as a result of this.”
Cllr David Northam, secretary of South Dorset Ramblers, said: “Totnes Town Council was the first council to adopt this, I would like Weymouth to be the second. At our recent strategy meeting we decided one of our key priorities was to promote Weymouth as a walking and cycling centre, and the desire to make Weymouth an all-year round tourist destination. I see adopting the Charter as a good way for Weymouth Town Council to progress this priority and would ask support of any members in adopting this Charter, recognising that any significant actions will need to go before the relevant committees for the work involved and to work out the costs.”
Cllr Graham Lambert said: “What I like about it is that it’s about every day walking, not just a ramble across the hills.”
One of the five aspects of the Charter is prioritising pedestrians. It suggests introducing a default speed limit of 20mph in residential areas to put the needs of pedestrians first.
Cllr James added: “I would endorse a speed limit of 20mph, that was the reason I stood for council years ago to get a 20mph speed limit in Westham. So, I would thoroughly endorse 20mph speed limits throughout residential areas.”
Weymouth Town Council has now adopted the Charter and its green and clean group will look at the costs associated with implementing it.
Cllr Northam said he hopes Dorset Council will also adopt the Charter.
Source: Dorset Echo