Living Streets Cymru
WE ARE LIVING STREETS CYMRU, PART OF THE UK CHARITY FOR EVERYDAY WALKING
We want to create a walking nation, free from congested roads and pollution, reducing the risk of preventable illness and social isolation and making walking the natural choice.
Active Travel Maps
Thanks to the Active Travel (Wales) Act, every Local Authority in Wales must draw up plans for a network of walking and cycling routes.
These routes should connect homes to places like schools, workplaces, shops, services, parks and leisure facilities.
This is good news.
They are updated every three years and are currently being consulted on right across Wales with the latest maps due to be completed by December 2021.
Find out more about your local map consultation here.
Cut the Clutter
The week 12th-18th July saw the start of an exciting new campaign for Living Streets!
We want to know how much of an issue street clutter is where you live.
Street clutter includes anything from badly placed lamp posts or bins, to excessive signposts or clumsy A-boards!
Sometimes seating spilling out from local shops and cafes can clutter up the footway leaving little space for people to get by safely.
No one needs it, let's get rid of it.
Find out more on our campaign page.
Pavement Parking Ban Announced
The Welsh Government has announced as part of its legislative programme for 2021-2022 that it will be making changes to the law to bring about a ban on pavement parking 'wherever possible'.
As a vocal advocate of a ban on pavement parking, Living Streets Cymru was on the task force that made recommendations to the Welsh Government. Whilst we would still like to see an outright ban on pavement parking, this will certainly be a move in the right direction, making our streets more accessible for all.
Local groups
Want to make where you live better for walking? Join one of our local groups, meet like-minded people and be part of the change! Or if you can't find a group in your area, why not set up your own?
Walk to School with WOW in Wales
Pupils in Wales can benefit from getting active on the school run with WOW – our year-round walk to school challenge – in Welsh and English.
A generation ago, 70% of us walked to school – now it’s less than half.
We want to reverse this decline. We want children to be energised and empowered, and to make walking to school their natural choice.
We are proud to offer the tools we provide for teachers and parents across the UK fully bilingually.
And September 2021 will see record numbers of schools in Wales taking part in our WOW walk to school programme!
Download our bilingual WOW leaflet
Read our Ysgol Glan Morfa Case Study:
CARDIFF - HEALTHY STREETS IN A GROWING CITY
We've been working on creating healthy streets in the growing Welsh capital.
Boosting active travel in Cardiff's schools
Cardiff's schools have increased active travel, thanks to a council project and our WOW scheme.
What We Say
Read our responses to national consultations
Submission to the Senedd’s Climate Change Committee on its priorities for the new Senedd term
Your Views on 20mph in Wales
The Welsh Government has launched a 12-week consultation on its proposals to implement a default speed of 20mph in residential areas reducing it from the current default 30mph.
The consultation ends on 1st October 2021.
We want to see speed limits of 20mph in places where people work, play, shop and study.
Living Streets Cymru was a member organisation of the Wales 20mph Task Force Group set up by Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters in July 2019 and its final report recommends a default 20mph speed limit for restricted roads in Wales with a target date of April 2023.
Living Streets Cymru looks forward to working with Welsh Government to support this legislation and make our streets and pavements safe and accessible for everyone.
Walking Friends Wales
We’ve teamed up with Sport Wales to start Walking Friends Wales - Cyfeillion Cerdded Cymru, a three-year project to help people over 50 to increase their walking activity.
The project will help older adults start walking in their communities, make new connections and voice the need for changes to their local walking environment.
The Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Helena Herklots CBE, spoke with us about the value of walking as part of our everyday routine, you can see what the Commissioner had to say in this video created especially for the Walking Friends Wales project during National Walking Month!
Find out more and get involved...
Senedd Cymru - Welsh Parliament
With the elections to the Senedd now behind us and a new Welsh Government in place, some proposed changes to the law in Wales have been announced and there is much to be positive about.
Among the proposals are changes to the national speed limit, changes to pavement parking regulations and action on clean air in Wales. These are all issues that Living Streets and our supporters have long campaigned for and we are delighted that our hard work is paying off - thank you for your support!
You can find out more about what is coming up and download our manifesto to find out why we asked our Welsh politicians to invest in making walking safer, commit to improving air quality and make it easier for families to walk to school and work.
Local Groups in Wales
Something exciting is happening in communities up and down the country. People are getting together to reclaim their streets and neighbourhoods and improve them for walking.
The time has come for us to create more liveable, healthier streets across the UK and to demand for practical and effective actions that make that happen.
In Wales, we have a growing number of local groups who are doing some amazing things, find out about a few of them here:
If you are interested in forming a local group, we can support you every step of the way. Find out more on our Local Groups pages.
School Streets
What are the streets like around your local school at drop-off and pick-up times? The typical answer is congested, busy and dangerous!
Imagine if, instead, the street was open and welcoming with plenty of space for children to walk, scoot and cycle safely when they arrive each morning!
This was the subject of a fantastic debate hosted by Living Streets and included a fantastic panel including the Future Generations Commissioner and the Chair of the Wales Active Travel Board.
Also on the panel was Caro Wild, Cardiff Councillor and Cabinet Member, who is a keen supporter of School Streets schemes with Cardiff now seeing schemes popping up in schools all over the city with many more on a waiting list!
Find out what the pupils at Peter Lea Primary School think about the initiative.
PRESS
RELEASES
For any media enquiries, please contact the Living Streets press team on 020 7456 9790 , or out of office hours, 07545 209865. Alternatively you can email commsteam@livingstreets.org.uk.
15.07.2020
Wales could be first nation to introduce 20mph speed limits
15.01.2020
Living Streets Cymru calls for better investment in walking in Cardiff
13.11.2019
Bold targets and investment needed to tackle falling walking rates in Wales
12.09.2019
Welsh Government looks to tackle pavement parking
Work with us
We’re creating a walking nation. We’ve got the know-how to make it happen but we can’t do it alone. Together with our partners and funders we can make extraordinary things happen.
WELSH LANGUAGE MATERIALS AND BOOKLETS
We want to encourage everyone in Wales to walk more and enjoy the benefits that walking brings. In Wales we aim to promote our projects and services bilingually, we have started to do this by producing a number of our promotional booklets in both English and Welsh. Please enjoy reading about our work to Get Wales Walking in the language of your choice.
Take a little walk, feel a big difference.
Ewch am dro bach i wneud gwahaniaeth mawr.
Walk to school with Living Streets
Cerdded i'r ysgol gyda Living Streets
Walking people at your service
Cerddwyr at eich gwasanaeth
Since 2019, our WOW Travel Tracker is also available fully bilingually.
This includes the interactive pupil interface and the teacher's access behind the scenes as well as our user guides and our school gate banners!
