Data published by the Healthy Streets Coalition shows Hillingdon to be the worst London borough for taking action to promote active and sustainable travel.
The London Boroughs Healthy Streets Scorecard sets out data to show the health of each borough’s streets according to nine indicators. It has been published alongside a new map showing all London’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, old and new.
Reporting on Hillingdon’s performance, the coalition said:
“It is an extremely bleak picture for the health of Hillingdon’s streets this year as the borough has fallen to the very bottom of the Scorecard table taking 33rd place of all 33 London local authorities".
The Scorecard does show a "slight improvement in the levels of travel by sustainable modes (walking, cycling and public transport)" in the borough over the last year.
However, the Scorecard also highlights that “fewer than one third of [Hillingdon's] adults are regularly walking". With physical activity levels now seen as one of the key risk factors causing susceptibility to a number of severe illnesses, they see this as a distinct cause for concern.
The Healthy Streets Coalition identify a variety of things Hillingdon could do to bring the borough in line with the leading London boroughs, including introducing more 20mph speed limit zones and controlled parking; increasing the percentage of roads with protected cycle tracks; and creating more low traffic neighbourhoods.
“We want to see Hillingdon take its first steps towards becoming a less car-dependent borough. School Streets and the school STARS programme can be catalysts for wider change in the borough, and they can build on the limited walking and cycling infrastructure already in place. But bold action is needed across the board, ultimately, if the overall picture is to improve”.
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