OUR FIRST STEPS FOR CHILD-FRIENDLY STREETS

a man pushes a pram with a small child inside, while a little girl holds on to the pram at his side

On 4th July, a new UK Government was elected.

We now need the new Government to take urgent action to ensure child-friendly streets are achieved over the parliamentary term.

As an immediate priority of Living Streets’ first steps for child-friendly streets, we’re calling on the new UK Government to provide safe walking routes to school, with an urgent end to pavement parking.

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HERE ARE OUR FIRST STEPS FOR CHILD-FRIENDLY STREETS:

1. SAFER STREETS

Provide safe routes for children to walk to school, with an immediate end to pavement parking.

2. TARGETS

Increase the walk to school target to 60%.

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3. DEVOLUTION

Ensure local authorities are properly resourced.

a man wearing glasses holding clipboard with two sacks of money next to him

4. SPENDING

Increase and sustain investment in walking and wheeling.

In the first 100 days we want to see action on pavement parking – the publication of the DfT consultation (closed November 2020) and a plan announced to tackle the issue.
The government should provide safe routes for children to walk to school, committing to a programme of school streets and a Vision Zero approach.
Ensure 20mph speed limits are in place where people and children, live work, go to school and play.
Ensure that pavement maintenance is given the same priority as pothole and road maintenance.

The Government should increase the walk to school target to 60% and maintain the target for 365 stages walked per person per year, as outlined in Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy 2 (CWIS2). These targets can be underlines in the publication of the upcoming CWIS 3 (expected early 2025).
New planning proposals provide homes for sustainable communities with accessible, local amenities like schools, parks and shops - targeting for everyday journeys to be walked or wheeled.'
Realise the power of active travel as a 'miracle pill' for physical and mental health, embedding walking as a serious preventative public health measure to support people to live longer, healthier lives.

National government should empower local authorities to make decisions that create safer, inclusive streets.
Ensure local authorities are properly resourced, have the right skills, and have the right powers to respond to local concerns such as speed, pavement parking and high traffic levels.

Increased and sustained UK Government investment into active travel, in both infrastructure and behaviour change initiatives to make change happen.
The trajectory of this investment should grow to make active travel 10% of domestic transport expenditure by the end of the Parliamentary term.