London Council Candidates pledge safer streets for cycling and walking

25 April 2018

Council leadership candidates are signing up to a safer streets pledge from walking and cycling charity, Sustrans, ahead Thursday’s London local elections.

As Londoners get ready to vote for their councillors on Thursday 3rd May, would-be council leaders are signing up to Sustrans ‘Streets for People’ pledge to demonstrate how they intend to improve streets in their borough.

“ We’re delighted that so many prospective council Leaders and Mayors were able to personally endorse the Streets for People pledge. ”

- Matt Winfield, Sustrans’ London Director

A broad range of candidates from central London to the outer boroughs are backing the pledge, which features commitments to create protected cycle routes, reduce through-traffic in residential neighbourhoods and improve pavements, pedestrian crossings and places to sit and find shelter for people out walking or cycling in the boroughs.

Over the course of the election campaign hundreds of Londoners have taken part and emailed their local candidates asking them to sign up to the Streets for People pledge.

Sustrans has so far received pledges from 20 prospective leaders and Mayors, representing four political parties and covering 17 London boroughs.

Matt Winfield, London Director for Sustrans, said,

“The hundreds of emails Londoners have sent to their council candidates shows just how seriously we all care about cleaning up air pollution from traffic and making our journeys on foot or cycle safer by creating streets for people.

“Nearly two-thirds of the journeys Londoners make every day are by foot, cycle or public transport, yet our streets are still dominated by motor-traffic.

“With London’s borough councils controlling 95% of the capital’s streets, we’re delighted that so many prospective council Leaders and Mayors were able to personally endorse the Streets for People pledge.

“The four commitments that make up the Streets for People pledge represent tried and tested things boroughs can deliver with the money they get from Transport for London. They’re based on real life examples from across the city, with real benefits for residents.

“After the elections it’ll be up to the councils to work with local communities to deliver on these pledges over the next four years. We look forward to doing our bit to help make it happen and giving more Londoners the healthy, quick and clean options for everyday travel.”

The Streets for People Pledge asks council leaders to use their term to:

Create three neighbourhoods free of through-traffic Create at least two schemes that connect the places people need to go to with protected space for cycling on busy roads Ensure redesigned streets are easy and safe for people on foot to cross and are truly accessible to all Create places people want to be, by enhancing and increasing public and pavement space and introducing seating, shade and shelter

Full list of candidates pledging

Last updated 25/04/2018

The full list of borough candidates supporting the pledge to date. We will continue to update until end of Wednesday 2 May.

Camden

Sian Berry, Green Party

Ealing

Julian Bell, Labour

Greenwich

Greenwich Green Party

Hackney (Mayor)

Philip Glanville, Labour

Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Green Party

Pauline Pearce, Liberal Democrats

Hammersmith and Fulham

Stephen Cowan, Labour

Haringey

Gail Enghart, Liberal Democrats

Islington

Richard Watts, Labour

Lambeth

Lambeth Green Party

Lib Peck, Labour

Lewisham (Mayor)

John Coughlin, Green Party

Merton

Oonagh Moulton, Conservatives

Redbridge

Andrew Johns, Waltham Forest & Redbridge Green Party

Southwark

Anood Al-Samerai, Liberal Democrats

Sutton

Tim Crowley, Conservatives

Tower Hamlets (Mayor)

John Biggs, Labour

Waltham Forest

Andrew Johns, Waltham Forest & Redbridge Green Party

City of Westminster

Adam Hug, Labour

What have others said?

Sustrans wrote to all current council leaders and opposition or group leaders in all 32 boroughs on the 22 March. Of those that have not committed to the pledge outright or at all, we received the following responses:

Redbridge

 Cllr Paul Canal, Conservatives, expressed support for pledges 2, 3 and 4, but reserved support for 1 pending case by case further assessment

Richmond

Richmond Liberal Democrats: expressed support for points 3 and 4, regarding point 2 they stated: “We would look out for opportunities to do this but it would require more work to establish how many situations meeting these criteria exist in the borough or can be achieved”. Regarding point 1 they stated: “It would therefore be disingenuous of us to commit to a specific number of such schemes here and now though we are in no doubt as to its general desirability.”

Wandsworth

Response from Cllr Ravi Govindia, Conservatives (PDF)

Don’t see your local candidates below, quickly email them here Standing for your borough Council? find out more here

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