22
Making more use of waterway paths and their surrounding corridors
Table 6
Visitor use
BW waterways
Other waterways
Any inland waterway
Millions of visits p.a.
Walk/run/ramble
123.1
163.4
286.5
Dog walking
74.9
167.6
242.5
To get somewhere
65.6
80.9
146.5
Running/jogging
27.4
39.2
66.6
Cycling
23.2
30.6
53.8
Fishing
6.6
11.6
18.2
320.8
493.3
814.1
Attraction
13.8
26.6
40.4
Boat (with engine)
5.5
25.4
30.9
Other
3.4
13.4
16.8
Boating (no engine)
2.8
9.4
12.2
25.5
74.8
100.3
Use
Using path
May/may not use path
November 2010
The Environment Agency (EA) Valuing Waterways (VW) report concludes, based on the national telephone survey, that: •
63% of the population surveyed used inland waters and their surrounding area in 2009; using census data, this equates to approximately 27 million visitors per year, an increase of 10% on 2008; and
•
59% of the population used inland waterways for ‘recreational purposes’ rather than ‘active purposes’ (see below).
However, it should be noted that inland waterway within the EA VW report is defined as ‘any inland water including rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and canals’. Similarly to the BW IWVS, the EA VW report does not differentiate between those visits/visitors using waterway paths and those not. However activity/use associated with the visit is identified and categorised as ‘active purposes’ or ‘recreational purposes’.
Source British Waterways Inland Waterways Visitor Survey 2009 Annual Report (2010)
This clearly demonstrates that the majority of people visit waterways do not actively use the waterway but utilise the associated waterway corridor. The survey did not specifically distinguish between activities that are dependent on the waterway and those that are independent of the water. However visits that were undertaken ‘to get somewhere’ (approximately 16% of visits) can be interpreted as equating to uses that are independent of the waterway. Even though some visits may be made by boat on the waterways themselves, these uses are also highly likely to use the associated waterway path to access the water (e.g. to access moorings, to get canoes into the water or for lock operation).
Some ‘active’ uses on larger waterways involve little use of waterway paths (River Thames, Oxford) but coaching from the towpath is common on smaller waterways.
’Active purposes’ are motor boating, angling and other water sports (including swimming), i.e. activities involving use of the water, where there may or may not be use of a path (although it is likely that a path would be utilised to access the water for these activities). ‘Recreational purposes’ cover walking/dog walking/rambling, cycling, picnicking, feeding ducks/wildlife, bird/wildlife watching, other, running/jogging, frisbee/playing ball games, kite flying/model boats etc, sunbathing, horse riding, rollerblading/skating and skateboarding.