The City of London, Islington and Hackney were on Monday named the best boroughs for “healthy streets” – while Hillingdon, Bexley and Havering were the worst.
Islington has converted all residential roads to 20mph and introduced seven low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and 35 “school streets”, where through traffic is restricted at the start and end of the school day.
The City – covering the “Square Mile” financial district – was praised for schemes such as Bank junction, which imposes weekday daytime restrictions on vehicles to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, Aldgate Square and the forthcoming St Paul’s gyratory transformation. The City also had the most cycle track per kilometre of road.
But the “car-dominated” suburban boroughs of Havering, Bexley and Hillingdon – the latter two among the Tory boroughs that brought a legal challenge against Sadiq Khan’s proposed Ulez expansion – were at the bottom of the table.
The scorecard was drawn up by organisations including CPRE London, London Cycling Campaign, London Living Streets, RoadPeace, Sustrans and Action Vision Zero. It assesses each borough on measures to encourage use of public transport, and walking and cycling.
Simon Munk, of the London Cycling Campaign, said: “Some London boroughs continue to send a message to residents that the car is king, and the only mode switch needed is perhaps from a diesel SUV to an electric one years away.”
Jeremy Leach, of Action Vision Zero, said Kingston and Newham had announced plans to reduce borough roads to 20mph – meaning 21 of London’s 33 boroughs would have the lower speed limit.
“By the end of 2023, TfL plans to make almost all of the Red Route roads inside the North and South Circular 20mph meaning that there will be 20mph speed limits on almost every road in Inner London,” he said.
“This, coupled with far higher levels of enforcement from the Metropolitan Police, including the use of five new mobile speed cameras, will help to increase the impact of these lower speed limits.”
According to the scorecard, 69 per cent of streets in Hackney are in a LTN, compared with five per cent in Bexley. Waltham Forest and Islington both had almost half of streets in a LTN.
The research also awarded marks for the first time for the proportion of streets within a controlled parking zone, which discourage car ownership.
Campaigners have raised concern at the lack of physical activity and obesity in London.
Waltham Forest was praised for its “visionary” approach to encouraging walking and cycling. It has recently announced more than a mile of additional segregated cycle lanes on Forest Road – delivering a protected east-west route from Haringey to Woodford.
The worst performing inner London boroughs were Kensington & Chelsea and Lewisham.
Twelve boroughs have converted all their local roads to 20mph – Camden, City of London, Hackney, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Richmond, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster.
But three have fewer than 10 per cent of roads at the lower limit – Barnet, Bromley and Hillingdon.
