London begins trek to become world’s ‘ most walkable city’

London, July 21: The British capital has launched an action plan to become the world’s most walkable city.

The “Walking Action Plan”, released by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s team earlier this week, aims to encourage a million additional walking trips each day by 2024.

Under the new plan, streets will be designed, built and managed to encourage walking, with better signposting and maps, as well as new, wider pedestrian crossings.

By making it easier for Londoners to leave their cars at home and walk instead, it will tackle the air pollution crisis and reduce congestion as London’s population continues to grow.

It will have a truly transformational impact on our city, said Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner in the mayor's office.

Research by the Greater London Authority ( GLA), which administers the city, suggests that if every Londoner walked or cycled for 20 minutes a day, it would save the state- funded National Health Service ( NHS) £ 1.7 billion in treatment costs over the next 25 years.

This includes 85,000 fewer people with hip fractures, 19,200 suffering from dementia and 18,800 suffering from depression.

Currently, only 34 per cent of Londoners walk or cycle for 20 minutes a day. Under the action plan, walking will be prioritised in new infrastructure schemes.