City of London transport strategy to deliver less car traffic and safer cycling infrastructure

The City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee today approved changes to its Transport Strategy, following extensive public consultation.

The Transport Strategy has been updated to reflect changes in the way people travel and travel patterns following the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also been more closely aligned with the council’s local plan, known as ‘City Plan 2040’. The strategy now focuses more on the needs of people who walk and use wheelchairs.

Since the pandemic, walking and cycling have increasingly made up the majority of journeys across and within the Square Mile. That’s why the City Corporation is responding to these changes by:

• Working on streets that are more inclusive and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. In doing so, we pay more attention to the way we work with people to design streets and spaces, and to the end result.
• Using street space as efficiently and effectively as possible by reducing motorised traffic, including the number of delivery and maintenance vehicles;
• We strive to ensure that no one is killed or seriously injured while driving on our streets, including by taking measures to make streets safer and reduce speeds;
• Enabling more people to choose bicycles and scooters by making cycling conditions in the Square Mile safer and more enjoyable; and
• Improving air quality and reducing noise pollution, including by encouraging and enabling the switch to zero-emission vehicles.

The transport strategy adopted in May 2019 is now in full swing and provides for a number of priority schemes for pedestrians.

Improvements to King Street are now complete to make walking safer and reduce congestion. The pavements are wider, there are better crossings and traffic is now one-way northbound. In July, 18 months of extensive refurbishment work began on King William Street to make walking, cycling and bus journeys more pleasant. The pavements are wider, there are better crossings, new trees and new seating.

The Transport Strategy is closely aligned with the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy. Climate resilience and greening work is progressing and being completed at locations across the Square Mile. For example, to combat future flood risk, the Bevis Marks Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) plan was completed in June 2023, while the greening of Cheapside is underway and the redevelopment of Jubilee Gardens has begun. Accessibility around the City is being improved each year, with a further nine locations benefiting from new raised crossings this year.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transport Committee, Shravan Joshi, said:

“As visitor numbers continue to grow in the City of London, it is vital that our transport strategy ensures it is a safer and more enjoyable place to travel through. With our renewed strategy, we can continue to improve the Square Mile for everyone.

“We know our strategy is making a difference. Our streets are safer, with the latest figures showing the lowest number of serious injuries on our streets since records began. Our air quality is also improving. When we first published our strategy in 2019, 15 locations across the city exceeded our air quality target for toxic nitrogen dioxide. Last year, this figure had fallen to two.”