Mayor Sadiq Khan has revealed plans to make London “the world’s most walkable city” in the near future. The goal is to make 80% of trips that people take within the city to be by walking, cycling, or on public transit by 2041.
“Walking is a fantastic way to get around and explore London, and getting more Londoners to walk regularly is essential for the health and future prosperity of our city,” Will Norman, the city's first “walking and cycling commissioner,” said in a statement.
Lonely Planet reported that the city is investing £2.2 billion—about $2.8 billion USD—to redesign streets to better suit pedestrians with more readable signs and maps, and more pedestrian crossings, among other updates.
In addition, the plan will also include “Active Travel Hubs” to help people walk from one station to the next to get in some extra steps, as well as buses and taxi getting an upgrade to eliminate the use of diesel fuel by 2019.
“Our objective is to make walking the safest, easiest and most enjoyable way of getting around,” said Norman.
City officials believe that making the city more walkable will ease congestion, overcrowding, and pollution as London's population continues to grow. By motivating Londoners to be more mobile, England's National Health Service could save an estimated £1.7 billion in health care costs, according to the mayor's office.
