Accessible route time
Route planners assume everyone walks the same speed without stopping. Plan with your own pace and the rests you need.
Your details
800 m for a walking stick or cane user
46 min
including 15 rest stops of 2 min
- Time moving16 min at 50 m a minute (1.9 mph)
- Rest every50 m (Inclusive Mobility guide)
- Rest stops15 x 2 min
- Seats or rest points to look forabout 15 along the way
The Department for Transport's Inclusive Mobility guide uses these as average distances people can manage without a rest; gradients, weather, crossings and handrails all change them, and your own experience beats any average. Measure a familiar route once with your phone to set your own speed. Many people walk around 60 to 80 metres a minute; using a stick or a frame is often slower, and that is fine.
If walking distances are getting shorter or you are falling, a GP or physiotherapist can check what is going on and whether a different aid would help.
The working
800 m with a stick, at 50 m a minute
Moving takes 16 minutes. The Inclusive Mobility guide suggests a rest about every 50 m for stick users, so allow 15 stops of 2 minutes: 46 minutes in all. Without a walking aid (rest every 100 m) the same route takes 30 minutes.
Distance without a rest
DfT Inclusive Mobility, 2021
| Group | Rest about every |
|---|---|
| Wheelchair users | 150 m |
| Visually impaired people | 150 m |
| Mobility impaired, no walking aid | 100 m |
| Walking stick or cane users | 50 m |
Planning tips
Before you set off
- Check for benches, step free crossings and dropped kerbs on a map's street view
- Allow extra time on slopes, in wind or rain
- Shops, cafes and stations make good rest points
- Time a familiar route once to learn your own pace
Read with care
What this cannot tell you
- Know the routeGradients, crossings and surfaces change everything.
- Know your dayEnergy and pain vary; plan for a harder day.
- Replace an assessmentA physio or wheelchair service can advise on aids and pacing.
Questions
Common questions
How far should disabled people be expected to walk?
The DfT guide suggests rests or seating about every 50 m for stick users, 100 m for people without an aid, and 150 m for wheelchair users and visually impaired people.
How fast do people walk with a stick?
It varies a lot. Many people walk 60 to 80 m a minute without aids; with a stick or frame it is often slower. Time yourself to find yours.
How do I find accessible routes?
Map street views, AccessAble guides and local access groups can help you check kerbs, slopes and seating before you go.
Is a Blue Badge based on walking distance?
Partly: councils look at how far and how well you can walk, among other things. Apply through GOV.UK.
Sources
- Department for Transport: Inclusive Mobility, December 2021, section 3.4 (recommended distance without a rest)
- Bohannon RW, Andrews AW. Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis. Physiotherapy 2011;97:182-189
Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
If getting about is getting harder
If distances you can manage are shrinking, or you are falling, a GP or physiotherapist can check why and whether a different aid would help.
Related
Related calculators
- Wheelchair push energyEnergy used wheeling, for wheelchair users.Open
- Walking time calculatorHow long a walk takes, stops included.Open
- Accessible activity goalsYour week, planned around how you feel.Open
- Inclusive fitness sessionA session built around how you move.Open
- Carer time budgetYour week as a carer, hour by hour.Open
- Gentle walking planYour walking, a few minutes more each week.Open