Transport for London (TfL) has today confirmed it is investing more than £87m across London boroughs and the City of London over the next year to make our streets safer, heathier and greener.
The investment will work to create new cycle routes to strengthen London’s growing network of Cycleways, more pedestrian crossings in local neighbourhoods and funding to support School Streets schemes, enabling children and young people to walk and cycle to school safely.
This is part of TfL’s three-year agreement and programme with London boroughs, which includes £87.6m of delivery in the first year, to improve road safety in the capital. It will fund projects delivered in partnership with boroughs, who have strong expertise of local roads and transport networks across the capital.
Subject to funding in subsequent years, the boroughs have set out plans that will help deliver:
Up to 95km of new cycle routes across the capital as part of a continued expansion of London’s network of high-quality Cycleways. Recent expansion through both borough and TfL delivered routes means that 27 per cent of Londoners now live within 400m of the cycling network
Up to 222 new School Streets schemes – there are now around 700 School Streets across the capital
Up to 265 new pedestrian crossings to make it safer and easier for Londoners to walk in local neighbourhoods
TfL Image – Bush Hill walking and cycling path, Enfield
Download
The confirmed funding announced today for the first year of this three-year programme is a nine per cent increase (£7.2m) on last year’s allocation, and reflects the importance of the boroughs’ work, alongside TfL and other partners, in delivering the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
In the previous three years (21/22-23/24), London’s boroughs delivered 190 School Streets, 289 new pedestrian crossings and made permanent more than 100 low traffic neighbourhoods across the capital. With 95 per cent of London’s roads controlled by borough councils, the work they do is crucial to the success of London’s transport network and to the capital’s economy as a whole.
Over the three-year programme, bus travel could also be boosted in London with 20km of new bus lanes planned as well as further measures to improve bus reliability such as changes to bus lane hours and measures to tackle congestion ‘pinch points’ where buses are routinely delayed.
The programme will also aim to deliver further projects to tackle road danger across London, including 15 new schemes at some of London’s most dangerous junctions and new boroughwide 20mph schemes. These are central to TfL’s and the Mayor’s continued commitment to the Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury on the transport network.
Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman said: “Creating greener and safer streets in London will enable more people to choose active travel to get around, and this is vital to achieving the Mayor’s environmental targets.
“This funding for boroughs, a significant increase on last year, shows the Mayor’s commitment to improving walking and cycling in London, and we look forward to continuing working with boroughs to build a better, safer and greener London for everyone.”
