In one ear and out the other.

One of life's mysteries is why things that, with just a little bit of consideration, can make obvious sense and yet still don't happen. For example, we know that far too many people are physically inactive, we know that the excessive use of motor cars causes congestion, pollution and is a significant contributor to climate change and yet a simple measure, improving a valuable bit of public space so that more people can be encouraged out of their cars and into a habit of regular everyday physical activity, simply falls off the political radar. 

It's now just about ten years since we established the Friends of the Old Railway. Our simple purpose was to improve the old railway line between Scarborough and Whitby so that it could be used by pedestrians, cyclists and wheel chair users of all ages and abilities and provide a valuable wildlife corridor linking the towns at each end to their rural hinterland.

In order to support potential grant applications we needed to come up reasonable estimates of the numbers of people using the Cinder Track. To do this we conducted surveys along different stretches of the Track on an as and when basis. There was no particular schedule for the surveys we simply did it when felt like it and noted the date, the start time, the end time and the number of users that fell into particular categories (pedestrians, wheel chair users, push chairs and cyclists). We assumed that over a period of time we'd get a reasonable sample and from this an estimate of the annual usage.

Of course, some stretches were surveyed more than others, and there was undoubtedly a bias in favour of good weather, but all in all the results we came up with were at least consistent. The highest rates of usage were in the urban areas at the ends - in Scarborough and Whitby - and tailed off towards the more isolated middle. So, in urban Scarborough we got a conservative estimate of at least 500,000 trips a year, in Whitby at least 150,000 and in the middle about 50,000. But, while the surveys tell us how many people use the track they don't tell us what type so what follows has the status of a personal observation and isn't a proper sociological survey.

The first thing that's clear is that for most of the day the adult presence is provided by dog walkers, older people, women (seemingly of all ages and classes) and poorer men. There are also times of day when there are very large numbers of children, young people and family groups (often young women with children). One of the things I find particularly pleasing is the way that the users interact with each other. It's not at all uncommon for adults to stop and chat or for groups of young people and families to be engaged in quiet conversation as they walk. Free from the threat of traffic children are allowed to progress at their own pace and often make little deviations to explore the local environment.

Now you might have noticed that there's one group of people who are significant by their absence and this absence sums up one of the problems we have in getting the quality of this, and other, pieces of public space taken seriously. Middle class, middle aged men. Almost everyone is there except the people who usually make the decisions. And the reason they're not there, and why some of the other groups are, is because they have access to cars and drive. In fact, if there's one thing that most of the other users have in common is that they don't have everyday access to a car.

Now I know that there are exceptions. There are some middle class men who like to walk or cycle to work and there are some who occasionally find time to walk the dog but, by and large, there aren't that many. This means that whilst they may have day to day experience of finding it hard to get a parking space or annoyed at potholes in the road they don't have the same connection with users of the track.

Once upon a time I used to believe, foolishly it turns out, that if you presented a decent argument then the powers that be would be obliged to respond. No, this isn't the way things work at all. The first thing that most people do is substitute the question you've asked - why don't we improve public space so that we get people out of their cars and back onto their feet? - with the alternative question - Is this argument being put forward by my sort of person? Since most of our decision makers socially identify with motorists, and not scruffy ex scientists with a bee in their bonnet, they simply don't acknowledge the argument that's been put.

In one ear and out the other, with a few polite yes buts along the way.

A patient dog waits

n.b. The section of track shown in the picture has been renovated to a good standard all we're asking for elsewhere is that it's smooth enough for buggies and wheelchairs and wide enough to pass.