Walking Action Plan Making London the World’S Most Walkable City About Transport for London (Tfl)
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Walking action plan Making London the world’s most walkable city About Transport for London (TfL) Part of the Greater London Authority We are moving ahead with many of family led by Mayor of London Sadiq London’s most significant infrastructure Khan, we are the integrated transport projects, using transport to unlock growth. authority responsible for delivering the We are working with partners on major Mayor’s aims for transport. projects like Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo Contents line extension that will deliver the new We have a key role in shaping what homes and jobs London and the UK need. life is like in London, helping to realise We are in the final phases of completing the Mayor’s vision for a ‘City for All the Elizabeth line which, when it opens, will 4 Foreword Londoners’. We are committed to add 10 per cent to London’s rail capacity. creating a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous city. The Mayor’s Supporting the delivery of high-density, 6 Chapter 1 – Healthy Streets and Transport Strategy sets a target for 80 mixed-use developments that are healthy people per cent of all journeys to be made on planned around active and sustainable foot, by cycle or using public transport travel will ensure that London’s growth is by 2041. To make this a reality, we good growth. We also use our own land 10 Chapter 2 – The vision for walking in London prioritise health and the quality of to provide thousands of new affordable people’s experience in everything we do. homes and our own supply chain creates tens of thousands of jobs and 16 Chapter 3 – Understanding walking in London We manage the city’s red route apprenticeships across the country. strategic roads and, through 32 Chapter 4 – A new approach to collaboration with the London boroughs, We are committed to being an employer support walking can help shape the character of all that is fully representative of the London’s streets. These are the places community we serve, where everyone where Londoners travel, work, shop and can realise their potential. Our aim is to 42 Chapter 5 – Action plan socialise. Making them places for people be a fully inclusive employer, valuing and to walk, cycle and spend time will reduce celebrating the diversity of our workforce car dependency and improve air quality, to improve services for all Londoners. 48 Chapter 6 – Building and managing revitalise town centres, boost businesses streets for people walking and connect communities. We are constantly working to improve the city for everyone. This means We run most of London’s public freezing TfL fares so everyone can afford 64 Chapter 7 – Planning and designing transport services, including the to use public transport, using data and for walking London Underground, London Buses, technology to make services intuitive and the Docklands Light Railway, London easy to use, and doing all we can to make Overground, TfL Rail, London Trams, streets and transport services accessible 78 Chapter 8 – Integrating walking London River Services, London Dial-a- to all. We reinvest every penny of our with public transport Ride, Victoria Coach Station, Santander income to continually improve transport Cycles and the Emirates Air Line. The networks for the people who use them 90 Chapter 9 – Leading a culture change quality and accessibility of these services every day. is fundamental to Londoners’ quality of life. By improving and expanding None of this would be possible without 108 Chapter 10 – Working together to achieve public transport, we can make people’s the support of boroughs, communities the Walking Vision lives easier and increase the appeal of and other partners who we work with to sustainable travel over private car use. improve our services. We all need to pull together to deliver the Mayor’s Transport Strategy; by doing so we can create a better city as London grows. 4 Foreword Walking action plan 5 Foreword London is, and has always been, a walking journeys each day than Tube walking city. Its historic centre developed or bus journeys. Even in those parts of at a time well before motorised London that are not welcoming places to travel, generating the characteristic walk, people still want to do so – this is a street layout that remains today. very encouraging sign. Many of London’s town centres and neighbourhoods were once smaller And the benefits are huge. Walking as settlements, located beyond the part of regular travel is the best way to city’s boundary, and dating back to a stay healthy. Switching from motorised time when walking was one of few travel to walking reduces road danger, travel options. air pollution and noise. If more people walk and consequently fewer drive, the The advent of the motor vehicle result is streets and neighbourhoods changed the way in which our city that are more pleasant and connected functioned and also affected how communities. Footfall is good for both it was designed. Central London’s the local and the city-wide economy. streets became clogged with cars, and And walking is a great way to explore the developing neighbourhoods in other amazing city around us. parts of the city began to be planned with car use in mind. Using the Healthy Streets Approach, we can help many more Londoners and The quality of London as a walking visitors feel these benefits every day. environment declined, and the needs This document sets out how we will do of people walking began to be neglected. this, developing specific proposals for Will Norman Yvonne Doyle This started to cause some serious walking, using the framework set out in Walking and Cycling Commissioner London Regional Director, problems for Londoners’ health, as the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. Public Health England well as the economy and the functioning of the city. We live With the right planning, organisation with these problems today, and we and community engagement, we can must tackle them in earnest. use the best lessons of London’s past to create a city for the future. We believe However, despite these challenges, we can make London the world’s most around a quarter of trips in London each walkable city. day are made on foot – there are more 6 Chapter 1 – Healthy Streets and healthy people Walking action plan 7 Chapter 1 – Healthy Streets and healthy people The Mayor’s Transport Strategy has walking for travel at its heart. The Mayor’s Transport Strategy, new homes and jobs will be facilitated published in March 2018, applies the by making walking the easiest option Healthy Streets Approach to the whole wherever possible. of London for the first time. This means that it plans for active, efficient and The importance of walking is evident sustainable transport modes to be in some of the strategy's key aims. One used to improve health and the human goal is for all Londoners to do at least experience of using the streets where 20 minutes of active travel every day by Londoners live, work and spend time. 2041. This is a big challenge, because only a third¹ report doing this now. Walking is, in many ways, the mode of travel that is most important to the aims Walking is also integral to the strategy’s of the strategy. It makes efficient use of main aim for 80 per cent of all trips in street space. It is good for individuals’ London to be made on foot, by cycle or health. It produces no emissions using public transport by 2041 (see Focus or noise. It is safe and encourages box 1). Walking is the most common of interaction, which improves lives. It is these modes now, but the proportion of good for business. trips made on foot has remained static at around 24 per cent² since the 1990s. For all of these reasons, and many more, walking is included throughout By working together – across TfL, the Mayor’s plans for transport in the boroughs, schools, Business London. Street changes of any kind will Improvement Districts (BIDs), businesses, be required to benefit people walking. community groups and the police – we Public transport systems will be planned can increase the number of people for the whole journey, including the walking and improve the experience of walk to or from the stop/station. And walking on London’s streets. 1 http://content.tfl.gov.uk/healthy-streets-for-london.pdf 2 https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports 8 Chapter 1 – Healthy Streets and healthy people Walking action plan 9 Focus box 1 Healthy Streets and healthy people The Mayor’s Transport Strategy chapter entitled ‘Healthy Streets and healthy people’ sets out how London’s main transport challenges can be addressed in three ways: a. Enabling active, inclusive and safe travel – by providing accessible, well- designed space for walking and cycling, the healthiest means of moving around London’s streets b. Using street space more efficiently – reducing traffic levels through better-managed freight and fewer car trips c. Improving air quality and the environment – and ensuring London’s transport system is resilient to the impacts of severe weather and climate change The first policy in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy contains a headline target and demonstrates the importance of walking to the whole strategy. Policy 1: The Mayor, through TfL and the boroughs, and working with stakeholders, will reduce Londoners’ dependency on cars in favour of active, efficient and sustainable modes of travel, with the central aim for 80 per cent* of all trips in London to be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041.