Ken Livingstone's vision to make London a world-class walking city by 2015 has taken a step closer to reality with the Mayor's endorsement of a new strategy to create better conditions for walkers and cyclists, giving them priority over cars by redesigning streets.
The publication of Towards a fine City for People, by world famous urban designer Jan Gehl, seeks solutions to London's "unusually poor conditions for walking citywide". The report comes hot-on-the-heels of Transport for London's (TfL) innovative Walking Plan for London, and has been roundly welcomed by TfL and Mayor Livingstone.
The report makes it clear that London is far from user friendly from the perspective of the walker or cyclist, calling for a radical shift in thinking in streetscape design, urban planning and the allocation of road space between cars, cycles and pedestrians.
One of the reports most damning indictments of London currently is that poor conditions for walkers mean that very few people walk for pleasure compared to those who walk out of necessity. This is particularly obvious when one considers that there is little seasonal variation in the number of people walking in London. When compared to other European cities, which see a marked increase in the number of pedestrians in summer, London lags far behind.
The report highlights the fact that on-street conditions, characterised by busy pavements, hemmed in by barriers, where pedestrians have to constantly give way to traffic means there are very few young or elderly pedestrians. This is symptomatic of streets that have been designed for cars and not people.
The report also stresses the need for a "culture change from all involved in transport and urban planning to create a better balance between people and traffic". This includes the issue of inappropriately located street furniture, both legitimate (litter bins, lampposts and bus stops) and illegal furniture (shop signs on pavements), turning the average walk down a London street into a slalom course.
Des de Moor, Walking Promotion Officer at the Ramblers' Association, said, "Walking as an activity is declining, with a knock on effect for health. This report highlights what anyone who walks in London already knows, pedestrians have been placed at the bottom of the city food chain. Fortunately, there now seems to be a genuine political will to improve things for the millions of people walking on London's streets every day. We would like to see the vast majority of the report's recommendations implemented as a matter of urgency."
Transport for London
