our history

LIVING STREETS HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE THE PEDESTRIANS' ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED ON 13 AUGUST 1929.

SPEED LIMITS. ZEBRA CROSSINGS. DRIVING TESTS.

Living Streets is proud to have played a part in delivering all of these. After marking our 90th anniversary in 2019, we are now working our way towards our centenary with more momentum than ever.

A group of children play on scooters and rollerskates in the street

OUR PAST

From painting the first black and white zebra crossings, to making drink driving an offense and bringing in the Highway Code - our past has laid the foundations for a safer walking environment for everyone today.

Terence Bendixson has been a campaigner for safer streets for decades. He joined Living Streets (then the Pedestrians' Association) in 1969 and became instrumental in our campaign successes, going on to become our President until recently. Read Terence's blog as he looks back on Living Streets' achievements and explains why we need your support to campaign for walking and wheeling.

Terence Bendixson's plea for walking

OUR PRESENT

more than 1 in 3 parents don't think their local streets are safe welcoming places their children can enjoy

three quarters of people think there is more traffic on local streets than there was when they were a child

3 in 5 children never play in their local streets

We know there is still a way to go to ensure our streets are safe and our communities are friendly and thriving. That's why our community engagement with workplaces, schools and older people is so important.

There are lots of ways you can support in our mission to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk and wheel more. You could join a Local Group, become a member or donate. Find out more here.

How you can support Living Streets

little boy wearing orange walk with living streets tshirt

OUR FUTURE

FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OUR WORK WILL FOCUS ON THREE OUTCOMES – WHERE WE WANT TO SEE BIG CHANGES:

CHOOSE WALKING

Seeking to position walking at the top of the travel hierarchy for shorter journeys; from the visions of our senior decision-makers through to the daily choices people make, in order to improve our health and our environment.

BETTER STREETS

Developing design standards for walking and creating an expert group to provide vision and guidance to our work.

ALL WALKS OF LIFE

Listening to, and championing the diverse voices of the people we work with, our members and supporters, our staff and volunteers, striving for equality and inclusion for our streets, in every UK neighbourhood, city and nation.

A network of walking routes in every town and city, creating safe and attractive places for people of all ages and abilities.

The Highway Code revised to improve safety for people walking and cycling.

A default speed limit of 20mph for most roads in built-up areas.

Pavement parking prohibited across the UK.

At least 55% of primary school aged children walking to school.