Campaigners need to be informed when interacting with and persuading councillors, transport planners and engineers. They need examples of innovative schemes and improvements to streets, plus tried and proven policies. But it is easy to be swamped with information. Here we draw attention to the most helpful resources.
To begin with, read our response to some of the common myths and misconceptions around traffic and transport.
If you know of additional pedestrian-relevant documents or sources that can help campaigners, please contact us: London Living Streets.
Useful Sources
Active Travel Public Health England has made an overwhelming public health case for getting people to engage in active travel as part of their daily lives. A Briefing for Local Authorities explains what active travel is and why it’s so important.
Designing and planning for walking The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has produced excellent documents with superb visuals that explain how facilities for walking should be designed and planned. Take a look at Designing for Walking and Planning for walking.
Filtered Permeability Making Streets Safer from City Infinity explains what filtered permeability is, how it works, and why it transforms residential neighbourhoods.
Glossary of technical terms: Blogger, The Ranty Highwayman explains street terminology.
Healthy Places — Codes for Councils This document usefully brings together the legislation, policies and guidance that local authorities in England are currently expected to pay attention to.
Healthy Streets The Healthy Streets Approach describes what makes public spaces vibrant and sustainable and what promotes walking, cycling and public transport. The idea is that a street that welcomes people is also good for their health. The concept was developed by Lucy Saunders and her website provides a useful introduction. Transport for London (TfL) also has a report on Healthy Streets for London.
Street campaigners should access Lucy Saunders’ presentation to London Living Streets and Urban Design Group from March 2018, that provides a guide to the Healthy Streets Indicators and recommends nine key steps for improving a street.
TfL has produced online tools to help borough officers, street project designers and campaigners assess how proposed new public realm and street schemes will deliver the ten Healthy Streets Indicators. TfL’s online Healthy Streets Toolkit currently contains four publications – Key Findings from the Healthy Streets Survey; Valuing the Health Benefits of Street Schemes; Small Change, Big impact; and Guide to the Healthy Streets Indicators.
Inclusive walking The iWalk project, between Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, takes an equalities approach to walking, focusing on needs of children, older adults and disabled people. Their excellent report offers 10 innovations for inclusive walking, which could help everybody walk more. These include 2.5m footway widths, as a basic, robust standard to achieve social, practical walking.
Junctions This controversial video from Martin Cassini explores how the ‘shared space’ concept, including the removal of traffic lights, can improve conditions for pedestrians on heavily-trafficked junctions.
Low-traffic liveable neighbourhoods London Cycling Campaign and Living Streets have produced two useful and informative guides to liveable neighbourhoods. The first, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: an Introduction to Policy Makers, is a ‘five-minute guide’ that explains the whole idea. The Guide to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods goes into more detail, explaining the benefits, the range of measures that can be introduced to achieve them, and the possible initial difficulties in rolling them out. Both documents are strongly recommended by London Living Streets.
An example presentation about the benefits of low traffic neighbourhoods, given to West Midlands Councillors and Council officers at the Cyclenation Conference in Birmingham in November 2018, can be accessed here.
This blog examines and offers all the research about what happens to the traffic diverted from residential streets when low-traffic neighbourhoods are introduced. It shows that the impact on main roads isn’t always as big as some fear but demands urgent and simultaneous attention for main roads.
Physical activity NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has produced guidelines on encouraging people to walk and cycle more. It is worth reading the Recommendations on page 10 of Physical activity: walking and cycling. More is available on the NICE website.
Public realm design and improvement – Equality Streets: Parking in a Liveable Lambeth is a comprehensive report that, despite its title, provides lessons across London on the design of public spaces.
Road Danger CrashMap provides collision statistics for London and is produced by a team of volunteer collision analysts. There is a small click charge to obtain data on specific streets in order to cover costs. Travel Independent produces statistics by local authority and police force areas. The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) produces statistics for each parliamentary constituency.
Slow Streets The Slow Streets Sourcebook from Urban Design London, provides great ideas and wonderful visuals on measures which reduce traffic speeds and improve the quality of place.
Speed Limits The London Digital Speed Limit Map from TfL shows the speed limits on all London’s Roads. Campaign group, Twenty’s Plenty provides regular updates on the roll-out of 20mph Speed Limits in London. The latest update was produced in November 2017.
Streetscapes A lavishly illustrated guide to the delivery of better designed streetscapes by Colin J Davis. Available free of charge for enthusiasts from https://streetscapes.online.
Traffic and social connectivity Urban theorist, Donald Appleyard’s 1969 book Liveable Streets explored the damage that heavy traffic does to people’s social connectivity. This video provides a good overview of his research.
Travel in London TfL produces an annual report that summarises trends and developments relating to travel and transport in London. The latest 2017 Travel in London report has detailed information on all travel modes.
Walking in London TfL’s website has a variety of walking material including self-guided walks and routes, and details about walking steps and times between stations.
Walking Potential in London In 2017, TfL analysed the potential for walking growth in the capital. This report presents the detailed findings. For example, it found that, on an average day, there are 2.39 million trips currently made by motorised vehicles that could be walked all the way.
Useful links and related websites
See some useful links here and links to local Living streets groups in London here
Blogs to follow
The following blogs offer great insight for transport and walking campaigners. Please contact us if you know of other valuable blogs.
Equality Streets Martin Cassini’s thought-provoking, controversial, and very informative blog and website
The Ranty Highwayman This superb blog is written by a professional engineer. You can also post questions which he will answer.
Intricate Minglings Hackney resident and London Living Streets member, Emma Griffin, explores efforts that make streets more liveable.
London Living Streets 