Streets for People
Our Streets for People strategy sets out a bold vision and a firm commitment to improve our residents’ quality of life and take action on climate change, by changing how we all travel and use streets in our borough.
Streets for People supports:
- cleaner air
- safer and quieter streets with less traffic and fewer accidents
- healthy travel options like walking, cycling or wheeling
- greener, and more pleasant spaces for our communities to connect and socialise
- a better place for all who live, work, study and visit
Why do we need Streets for People?
Southwark is one of the most densely populated areas in the country. In other words, we do not have a huge amount of space per person so the space we do have is precious. Our streets are publicly owned and should be used for the things we most value.
Most streets are currently designed to prioritise cars, even though most people (60.3%) do not own one. Polluting vehicles contribute to nearly half of the air pollution in London and road transport makes up 18% of the borough’s overall carbon emissions. Because of this we’re moving away from favouring cars and freeing up space for walking, cycling and public transport.
The shift from streets for cars to streets for people will reduce damaging air and noise pollution, lower our carbon emissions, increase safety and provide the facilities we all need to help build stronger communities and encourage healthier lifestyles.
View the Streets for People strategy (PDF, 5.4mb)
Page last updated: 13 August 2024
