"Some rural areas" is in reality almost every mile of road outside of towns. You've clearly never walked in the countryside.
I've lived in the countryside for 14 years. I don't walk on the roads where I live. The roads are narrow and there is no place to walk as the side of the roads are raised embankments built from tree roots. Looks like this: http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C41G6T/country-lane-with-trees-form...
The place to walk in that situation is on the road. As someone who has decades of experience as a pedestrian, that road looks eminently walkable.
Living somewhere that you can't even walk around sounds like some kind of prison. How do you get around? It sounds like you are unable to get around without burning fossil fuels. How does that make you feel?