Hope you are all keeping well as different parts of the country move into tier 2 and 3 lockdowns. We will be issuing guidance next week outlining how these new restrictions will affect Group activities. In the meantime, please find below another weekly update – including some invitations to webinars and requests for help on finding case studies.
Date for your diary – Local Groups meet-up – Weds 11 November @ 12.30pm
We will be hosting our next Local Group meet-up on 11 November at 12.30pm. This session will be focused on ‘Effective Campaigning’. We will hear from a few different Groups about the campaigning techniques they have used over the years, so we can learn from each other on successfully affecting change.
We already have a couple of Groups signed up, but if you would like to showcase a campaign or have a problem you’d like the group to advise on, please do get in touch. This will be an interactive session so there will be plenty of opportunity throughout to tell us what you’ve been up to.
An invitation will be sent out next week, as well as more details on speakers. I really hope you can make it!
Our New Strategy has Launched!
Living Streets launched its new five-year strategy this week. “Walk With Us” sets out the charity’s goals to 2025, to achieve its vision of a walking nation.
The charity’s mission is to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more. Local Groups and our members are a big part of achieving our vision.
Three priority areas:
- People choose walking – walking is at the top of the travel hierarchy for shorter journeys to improve our health and our environment.
- There are better streets for walking – developing design standards for walking to ensure our streets are fit for all.
- All walks of life – we want walking to be for everyone, striving for equality and inclusion for our streets, in every UK neighbourhood, city and nation.
You can read our press release, watch our video and read the full strategy here
Join us for our School Streets Webinar – Thursday 22 September @ 12pm
Our CEO Mary Creagh will be hosting our School Streets Webinar next week. I would really encourage you to come along to this webinar if your Group is interested in securing School Streets or Play Streets in your area. There will be some fab speakers, including:
- Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
- Dafydd Trystan, Chair of the Active Travel Board for Wales
- Caro Wild, Cardiff Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Transport
- Sarah Rees, Pregnant then Screwed
- Chris Thompson, Living Streets School Streets Projects
While it has a Wales focus, the invitation is open to you and your contacts across the UK as there will be plenty of useful learnings to share as we help to get more children walking to school! You can register here:
Request for case studies – low traffic neighbourhoods. Can you help?
We are still looking for good examples of where low traffic neighbourhoods, or any other schemes making space for walking, have been successful.
Have you had a scheme introduced in your area which has worked well, and has been popular with residents? We are keen to collate as many examples as possible to promote the positive benefits of such schemes – so please do get in touch if you have case studies to share.
Last chance to support our Highway Code Campaign!
Highway Code – consultation closes on 27 October
As you’ve probably seen, the Government is planning to update the Highway Code. They are currently running a consultation on the following changes:
- Introducing a hierarchy of road users (rule H1) – ensuring that road users who do the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they may pose
- Clarifying where pedestrians have right of way (rule H2) – drivers should give way to people wanting to cross the side road junction or at a zebra crossing. Currently, they only have priority once they risk stepping out onto the road.
- Encouraging safer speeds
It is important that if you agree with these changes, you fill out the consultation by the 27 October 2020. Rule H2 (specifying that drivers should give way to pedestrians) is particularly important for walking, and we are urging all our supporters to express their support of this new rule. There are two ways we are encouraging supporters to do this:
Step 1 – Adding your voice to Living Streets’ submission to Department for Transport here (takes 10 seconds!)
Step 2 – Once you complete Step 1, you have the option to fill out DfT’s consultation. We have outlined some tips for completing the consultation, so it doesn’t take too long to complete. You have the option to either respond as an individual or as a Group representing a wider group.
We would encourage any Groups that can to respond as a collective with other members of the Group, as this can be a powerful way to get more pedestrians’ voices heard!
Petition in Perth – Keep Hands-Free Crossing
Could you sign this petition? The petition is asking to retain a newly installed hands-free traffic light system in Perth and Kinross and suggests the Council should do some more consultation with residents before removing it. The system was installed to protect pedestrians against the transmission of the Covid19 virus. Link to the petition is here.
Please note, even if you don’t leave in or near Perth, you can still sign this petition. In the wake of Covid19, pedestrians from all over the UK could benefit from more of these crossings.