About London Living Streets

Our vision:

London Living Streets believes in streets that are people-friendly and less dominated by traffic, making it easier for Londoners and visitors in all communities to enjoy their streets and to walk more. This will benefit our health, environment, communities, local shops and overall quality of life in London.

The benefits of walking and a walkable environment to London

The problem:

About one third of single mode trips in London are made on foot. This makes walking the second highest proportion of all trips and is the glue that holds the public transport system together. But worryingly, walking is in decline; between 1994 and 2004 walking trips across Greater London fell by 13%.

Issues that affect people on foot tend to be local matters and so the scale of the problem is often not fully appreciated. London Living Streets was formed in 2005 to make the pedestrian lobby in London stronger and to give people on foot a better platform from which to be heard.

London Living Streets will:

• Encourage individuals, community groups and communities from across London, and visitors, to demand that people on foot are given greater priority.


• Spearhead action to bring pressure on London's decision makers to ensure that people on foot are central to all London's policies and developments.

We will achieve this by:

• Running high profile campaigns, on matters of regional importance, which will engage large numbers of Londoners and in turn influence London's decision makers. Current campaigns are listed in the left hand panel.


• Responding to London wide consultations that affect people on foot from organisations such as the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police.


• Responding to consultations that affect particular parts of London. Often, but not exclusively, this will focus on London's most iconic streets and squares which have London wide significance. Where we have local borough branches we will co-ordinate our response with them.


• Lobbying Transport for London at quarterly meetings with the Director of Road Network Performance and the Head of Cycling, Walking & Accessibility.


• Representing the end user on projects and advisory groups that have regional significance. Click here for some examples.


• Holding rallies to bring together everyone who wants to make London more walkable. Our inaugural event, Walkable London, was kindly hosted by the Greater London Authority at City Hall in September 2006.


• Providing opportunity for London Living Streets campaigners to meet once a quarter to share information and ideas.


• Encouraging the formation of branches in each of the 33 boroughs to ensure that the regional work of London Living Streets is underpinned by policies and action at a local level.

Our structure:

London Living Streets is part of Living Streets, a national charity established in 1929 as the Pedestrian's Association. Living Streets campaigns and lobbies for better streets and public space.

London Living Streets has close links with other organisations promoting sustainable transport, and in particular with the London Cycling Campaign. Many of our aims and objectives overlap. For example both organisations want to see lower vehicle speeds and road space reallocated to active travel.

London Living Streets campaigners meet once a quarter to celebrate success, share ideas and to develop future campaigns. An Action Group, consisting of three campaigners, meets once a month to supervise and further direct progress. London Living Streets and the Action Group are assisted by Simon Barnett, Living Streets Walkability Officer. Find out more about getting involved.