Towpaths, promenades and parks can form valuable routes and
links, offering a useful complement to the road network for
cyclists. Coastal paths and forest trails are also excellent
settings for cycling, from extreme mountain biking, to days out
for the family. Many off-road opportunities like this are
already open, but it would be good to see far more of them.
Likewise, only 30% of the Public Rights of Way network in
England and Wales is available for cycling. It is often
fragmented and incoherent, and the legal status of some paths
seems arbitrary (some footpaths, for example, are better for
cycling than some bridleways). Complex processes usually apply
whenever there are proposals to make a path legally available to
cyclists, but in Scotland the Land Reform Act 2003 gives the
public, including cyclists, lawful access to most land and
inland water, provided they obey an access code. Adopting this
approach for the rest of the UK would be a welcome boost for
cycling. To make sure that they are well used and us