Walking Action Plan: making London the world’s most walkable city

London’s first Walking Action Plan, which is supported by Public Health England, has an ambitious vision to make London ‘the most walkable city in the world’, with a million extra walking trips taking place each day by 2024.

Launched by Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, the plan sets out how London will become a city where walking, for those that can, is the most obvious, enjoyable and attractive means of travel for all short trips.

The plan aims to encourage Londoners walk more often by designing, building and managing streets for pedestrians – and by delivering better public spaces, more walking routes and more numerous and wider pedestrian crossings.

It also sets out how walking will be prioritised in every new infrastructure scheme, through London’s first pedestrian design guidance and a range of other tools and analysis to help boroughs deliver local schemes.

Children also feature, with proposals to double the number of Gold accredited STARS schools – which champion healthy routes to school – and support timed road closures, car free days and 20mph speed limits around schools.

The plan also features proposals to roll out innovative new traffic signal technology that makes it safer and easier for pedestrians to cross roads, and the creation of new ‘Active Travel Hubs’ at London Underground stations, making it easier to walk as part of an onward journey.