London plans to become the most “walkable city” in the world

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Pedestrians, meet your new dream city.

London, the United Kingdom capital, has launched an action plan to become the world’s most walkable city. Now the city is taking all measures possible to ensure it happens.

The “Walking Action Plan”, revealed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan last week, aims to encourage a million additional walking trips in London by 2040.

In order to get residents and visitors to choose walking as their primary choice of transportation, the city’s administration announced that they will invest 2.2 billion pounds to improve the infrastructures. The capital’s streets will be redesigned to support walking, with more pedestrian crosses and signpostings available, according to the administration office.

"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,” Will Norman, London's walking and cycling commissioner said. “It will have a truly transformational impact on our city.”

Oxford Circus, London. /VCG Photo

The project also includes a plan called “Active Travel Hubs” to help people walk from one station to the other instead of going by cars. Also, buses and taxies will get the upgrades to eliminate the usage of diesel fuel by 2019 - all in an effort to make the city more sustainable and clean, and help its people and its millions of tourists breathe better.

According to research by Great London Authority (GLA), only 34 percent of Londoners walk or cycle for 20 minutes a day. The research shows that if everyone walked or cycled for 20 minutes a day, it would save the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) 1.7 billion pounds in treatment costs over the next 25 years.

Making the city more walkable will also ease traffic congestion, overcrowding and air pollution which has continued to grow in recent years. It will also promote tourism among locals and visitors by discovering more walking tour routes and linking tourism attractions all together within walking distance.