Marlborough Walking and Cycling Strategy B.2. Challenges Many people do not cycle; there are many reasons given for this. Some examples are: the distances are too great; a car is needed because other people or goods have to be transported; the weather or hills are a concern; helmets interfere with hair styles; or dress standards do not allow cycling. Yet in Marlborough, there are still many people who do choose to cycle despite these apparent reasons for not doing so. For them, the challenges of cycling concern not the weather or other reasons, but the existing traffic conditions they experience every day on the roads. Similarly, many people walk very rarely for transport or leisure. The reasons for not walking are likely to be as varied as they are for not cycling. This walking and cycling strategy aims to help overcome these challenges so that walking and cycling experience resurgence in popularity. B.3. Opportunities for Walking and Cycling 1. Individual Benefits Individuals derive benefits from walking and cycling in many ways: Convenient door to door access without parking hassles, Improved mental and physical health and fitness – evidence suggests that the health benefits of cycling outweigh the associated risks; Increased independence, particularly for school students; Access to transport which is much cheaper to own and operate than a car; and Increased opportunities to observe, experience and enjoy the scenery and environment. 2. Transport System Benefits Walking and cycling have many advantages for our transport system: They can reduce costs for provision of parking facilities; They can reduce the number of trips made by cars, thereby reducing congestion and freeing up road space for essential motor vehicle trips; Cycles can move large numbers of people relatively quickly and conveniently over moderate distances; and Because our population is spread over a wide geographical area, public transport is unlikely to be a significant transport option, leaving opportunities for walking and cycling to fill this void. 3. Economic Benefits Walking and cycling contribute to the local economy in a number of ways. In particular, they attract both local residents and visitors with money to spend on food, refreshments, entertainment and accommodation. Equipment retailers also benefit from the presence of walkers and cyclists. Tourists have even more to offer, typically spending more per person per day than local people. Cycle tourists (who often travel only as far in a day as motorists do in an hour) are simply around longer and have more time to spend their money in our community. Walkers can spend even longer in our communities. Walking and cycling events can bring in significant revenue to the community. The “Grape Ride”, for example, is a well-attended cycling event with participants coming from near and far. These sorts of events iii