Segregated from motorised traffic, greenways pass through a variety of environments, sometimes through towns and sometimes through the countryside, parks or even nature reserves.

The options chosen when designing and planning a greenway will depend on the type of users expected to use these routes: every kind of non-motorised user - pedestrians, cyclists, people with reduced mobility, roller-bladers and even horse riders or cross-country skiers.

It may prove tricky to organise the available space so that it can be shared by pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, for example, in which case it may be feasible to provide separate lanes with different surfaces.

Considerations such as cost, simplicity of upkeep and durability should not be the only criteria used in making these choices: thought should also be given to ensuring that the project blends harmoniously into the environment.