Donate
Back to news
Our news

MSP motion recognises Walking Scotland’s 30 years of success

We’re delighted that Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, has submitted a motion recognising Walking Scotland’s 30 years of success.

The motion will be debated in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 9 September.

This is a valuable opportunity to highlight Walking Scotland’s work helping make walking and wheeling part of everyday life. We also thank the MSPs who have signed the motion.

Our programmes connect communities, encourage positive behaviour change, and improve places and spaces for walking and wheeling.

We advocate for inclusive walking and wheeling, working with partners and local communities to reduce barriers so everyone has the chance to walk or wheel wherever they go.

We have urged the Scottish Government to make walking and wheeling a priority by:

  • Putting walking and wheeling at the heart of government. Walking and wheeling are practical ways to deliver government priorities. They are low-cost, high-impact interventions that can be delivered quickly, visibly, and locally.
  • Publishing and resourcing the National Walking Framework. Scotland has made strong progress over the past decade and was one of the first countries in the world to publish a national walking strategy in 2014. The current National Walking Strategy Action Plan ran to 2026, and a new framework is urgently needed to guide Scotland towards becoming a walking nation.
  • Establishing a sustained, multi-year Scottish Path Fund. A dedicated Scottish Path Fund would provide long-term investment to improve everyday walking and wheeling routes, as well as recreational paths across Scotland. Funding should support the development and maintenance of pavements, crossings, local path networks, lighting, dropped kerbs, and safe links to public transport.
  • Continuing investment in walking and wheeling as preventative health measures. Walking and wheeling should be recognised and funded as core preventative health interventions, with stronger links to public health, primary care, social prescribing, community health walks, and wider prevention strategies. SROI research shows that every £1 spent on Health Walks in Glasgow generated £8 in social benefits for society.
  • Making streets safer and more accessible. The Scottish Government should support pedestrian-first streets by reducing traffic speeds, expanding safer routes to school, strengthening enforcement of pavement parking bans, improving lighting, providing more and safer crossings, and addressing poor pavement conditions and obstructions. Recent successes from 20mph zones in Edinburgh have led to a 30% reduction in accidents.

Published: 8 September 2026

Back to top of the page